Awakening Arikusandoria- A VocaloidUTAU Story
by Arikuchan
Summary: A story containing two UTAUs who were literally made for each. However, Arikusandoria's Kokoro system is dormant and unless it is awoken, she will never know she was meant for Mitsumori- the boy whom their creator made specifically for her. This is their story of life amongst UTAUs and Vocaloids and how one man's wish saved a young girl's heart. Pairings included throughout.
1. Chapter 1-The Dawn of a New Day

**short backstory:** Okay so this is my very first fanfiction and will probably be my only fanfiction for a while since i've invested so much time into this so far. In it you will see a well rounded mix of Vocaloids and UTAUs with Arikusandoria and Mitsumori being the two main characters(this is the story of how Mitsumori ultimately awakens Arikusandoria's slumbering heart system in short). I made Ariku and Mitsumori so yeah, this is kinda the story that explains their existence and stuff and how they just adjust to life in general with the other Vocaloids and UTAU's

I hope you enjoy it^^

**Ch1- The Dawn of a New Day**

**Someday Ariku-chan, you'll be all mine. Someday.**

Mitsumori adjusted his glasses as he turned the page in the novel he was reading as he sat in the library. "...so I'll see you in choir practice Ari-chan? I'm glad you decided to join!" It was not so much the voice that caught Mitsumori's attention as it was the name that was said.

**"Ari..."**

The name echoed in his head. A giggle was heard followed by a, "M-most definitely Len-kun!" Highly curious, Mitsumori had shut his book and looked about for the girl he hid his feelings from daily- a slender purple-haired girl with golden eyes that shined so brightly, even behind her studious glasses. Gosh, she's so pretty. He thought, looking over her outfit which consisted of the typical school girl uniform but for some reason, it just seemed more appealing on Ariku, her long legs made the skirt seem much shorter, though it was normal length, the way she walked with such cute shyness was irresistibly adorable. Though he did not look at her with perverted intentions, the thought did tease him a bit.

"Oh, um, hello Mitsu-san. I see you found a new book to read. Is it any good?"  
Startled, Mitsumori jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh why yes Ariku-chan, I am pleased with this book so far. But I just started reading it like 16 minutes ago so... not an accurate assessment haha." The statement came out sounding oh so geeky and Mitsu was laughing nervously, hoping Ariku didn't think he was a nerd or loser. A smile gave him relief. "Well that's good! I was hoping you had found it, because I knew you had wanted to read the next part already." A small pause made Mitsu wonder what she was thinking about, as it appeared she was going to speak again. After a moment, she shook her head. "Um...uh anyway Mitsumori, this school is so nice huh? A lot different from my hometown that's for sure." She continued. "Yeah, it's a change from mine as well."

Ariku and Mitsumori had been childhood friends since the day he moved to her old school. Once they met at UTAU Academy, the pair became instant friends, but had now been transferred to the Vocaloid Institute for a reason neither knew.

A look of worry crossed Ariku's face.

"Hm? Everything okay Ari-chan?" "...I-I just hope the Vocaloids don't find out we're UTAU's... I-I don't want to be bullied again..." She said softly, rubbing her arm. Mitsumori's expression softened and he stood and place a hand on her shoulder. "Everyone seems nice here Ariku-chan, but if you're truly that worried, we'll just sing outside of school together. That way no one has to know our secret." A weak smile crossed her face. "Haha...If only I hadn't joined choir... They'll find out today Mitsu-san. I-I'm nervous." "Well that Len fellow seemed like an okay kind of guy, maybe it won't be too bad." Mitsumori replied, trying to reassure her. She seemed to accept this. "..Yeah that's true. Thanks Mitsumori!" Ariku hugged him, causing him to blush slightly. 'Arikusandoria smells sweet.' He thought. "Y-you're welcome Ari-chan. I h-hope you have a good day." He replied with pink cheeks. She let go and smiled. "Don't be late for class okay?" Once Ariku had left, Mitsumori went over what happened in his head.  
Gosh, I sound like a teacher, always so dorky and junk... Why can't I use normal words around her? He thought to himself.

...Ariku hugged me so tightly...But I'm sure I'm just a friend to her.

"Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do!" The chorus of Vocaloid teens was warming up. "S-sorry I am late Sensei!" Ariku cried, bursting through the choir hall doors. Huffing, she slowly gathered herself and to her embarrassment, everyone was just staring at her.

"Is that the new Vocaloid girl we got? Hasn't she been here like a month already though?"

"Yeah I think."

"She's adorable."

"Hmph, she's late."

Uneasy by what was being whispered, Ariku became more nervous as she fidgeted. "Ah...um...-"  
"Please, take a stand on the risers, Miss Sanaka." A silver haired woman said politely. "Yes mam." Ariku replied softly, taking a spot in what she guessed was the Alto1 section.  
'To them, it really doesn't matter where they stand or what they sing... they can sing whatever they want and sound amazing. But me... No, I can't let them find out I'm not one of them. If only Mitsumori were here, he could help hide the notes I don't sing well...' Ariku thought with a sigh.  
"Len... is that the girl you were telling me about?" A girl asked the blonde.  
"Hmm? ...Oh YEAH! Hi Ariku-chan!" Len called out happily, waving to the girl.  
"LEN, stop being disruptive! We are about to start!" The teacher snapped.  
"Yes Yowane-sensei..." The boy pouted and looked down although Ariku had smiled over at him and mouthed "Hello.", making him smile again.  
"Now, why don't we start off with reading new music, just to see how good we all are at sight reading on the spot?"  
Music was passed around the choir and they commenced to sing on the spot the foreign piece in their hands. 'So far so good' Ariku thought. 'Nothing too high or low for anyone to notice.'

But her relief instantly vanished, for on the next page was a stream of significantly higher melodies and harmonies. 'Oh gosh, they're bound to hear my out of tune frequencies now!' She thought miserably. Little did she know the bell was going to ring soon. Sensing something was wrong, Len raised his hand right as the chorus was supposed to hit their high octaves. Haku sighed but stopped the choir. "What is it Kagamine?"

"Uh... um... what is this for exactly?"  
"We are just reading it, I'm trying to see if we need to sight read more or move straight into vocal technique."  
'Any second now...Come on and ring already you stupid bell!' Ariku thought, catching on to what Len was trying to do.  
"And um... what do you think? Cause I sure as heck think we sound pretty awesome, right Rin?" Len said, addressing his twin sister to back him up.  
"Um, yeah! We sound fantastic Yowane-sensei! Please don't make us sight read!"  
It was visibly evident that Haku was getting quite frustrated as she just put a hand to her head.

**DING!**

An exasperated sigh. "Freaking' idiots..." she muttered. "Just ah...just get the heck outta here!"


	2. Chapter 2- We're Just Friends

**Ch2- We're Just Friends**

"Ariku-san! Please wait!" Two voices called out, causing Ariku and Mitsumori to stop.

"Hm? Oh Its Rin and Len-san." She stated happily to Mitsumori who nodded. "Ah, yes I remember the boy from the library. I didn't know he was a twin though." "Yeah, they sing really well together... Kind of like us huh? Although we aren't related haha!" The pair were conversing and laughing when the twins caught up to them.

"So, I hope you had a good day today Ariku-san. You looked kind of uneasy at practice so I thought I'd come and see if you wanted to join me and Rin for an after school treat!" Len explained, totally oblivious to Mitsumori's presence as he smiled at Ariku. Ariku smiled back.

"Oh okay. I'd really enjoy that."

Mitsumori coughed, just to remind the group of his presence.

"Who's your friend, Ariku-chan?" Rin asked, flashing a smile to Mitsumori.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. This is Higorashi Mitsumori; we went to the same school for the past four years." Mitsumori smiled back at Rin.

"A pleasure to meet you both." He said, holding his out his hand. Rin giggled and shook it.

"Ooh so formal sounding!" She said cutely, making him and the others laugh. "Oh sis, you're so funny."

"Come on! Let's take them to the ice cream parlor!" Rin said, very eager to take their new ...friends... acquaintances... whatevs... to the ice cream parlor.

"Yeah! What a great way to end a day of school twin! Come on guys, it's only a short walk away from the school." Len said happily. Ariku and Mitsumori exchanged glances, shrugged and nodded. "Alright then." "Ice cream does sound nice right now."

As the group was walking outside, a flash storm appeared out of nowhere.

"ERMAHGERD RAIN!" The twins said in a funny voice as they ran in the open to play like crazy in the rain. Ariku gulped as did Mitsumori. "W-we can't go out there Mitsu-san, w-what do we do?" Ariku whispered to her friend. "Um...What if-" "HEY COME PLAY IN TEH RAIN GUYS!" Rin cried. "Yeah, come play in the rain with ush!" Len cried as he motioned for the secret UTAU's to go play with them. "Ari-chan... follow along okay?" Mitsumori whispered and she nodded. "FIRST TO MY CAR GETS SHOTGUN!" He cried as he took off, Ariku quickly running after him. The twins looked at each other and took off as well "I WANT SHOT GUN!" "ME TOO!"

"Good thinking Mitsumori, I hope we don't get sick though." Ariku called as they made it to his car. He unlocked the doors for them and she took the passenger's seat. "Aw man! I wanted shotgun!" Rin pouted as her and her brother made it to the car just after Ari did. "Oh well, to the ice cream parlor!" Len said as the twins took the backseats.

"M-Mitsumori-san, I-I'm kinda cold..."Ariku said softly. She was shivering since they had been on the road. He frowned and gave her his jacket, seeing as how he hadn't even turned on the AC. "Here you go."

"Hey...I thought we were walking to the parlor." Rin said, realizing that yes, they were supposed to walk.

"Well it is raining pretty bad now sis, that and we kinda lied about it being so close to the school."

"That's okay guys, I think I see it right up ahead." Sure enough, the parlor was right there in front of them and he pulled into the parking lot. "YAY! Maybe Kaito-sama is here too!

"Whaddya mean maybe you numnut. Kaito-nii practically lives here." Len said with a laugh.

"Um, who's 'Kaito-nii'?" Ariku asked as they walked into the building.

She got no response as the group surveyed the room. Not too many people where there, other than this bluenette and a couple others. "That's Kaito-nii, Ariku-chan!" Rin said cheerfully, pointing right at him.

'He's kinda... um...cute?…Did I really just think that?' Ariku thought on first impression, as the guy in a white coat licked his ice cream cone, looking quite content. Mitsumori caught Ariku staring and felt uneasy. 'I wonder what she's thinking...' He thought. In another moment though, he no longer worried as to whether Ariku liked Kaito or not, as the bluenette randomly said "I love you Aisu."

Okay...so Len-kun is still the one that trumps in looks to her eyes. Mitsumori wasn't sure whether to be happy or still upset because of the obvious way Ariku had been acting around Len... or so he thought.

'It's hard to tell whether she's genuinely being shy or she's just playing innocent.' He put his thoughts on hold as they walked over to this strange person.

"Kaito-sama! You're so funny!" Rin said as the group had gotten along well with the former stranger to the Utau pair.

"No, he's just so dense you think he's funny" Len said jokingly, but the bluenette pouted.

"Len-san, why're so mean to your nii-san?" Kaito whined.

"For that exact reason! Always treatin' me like a kid and yet YOU'RE the one who acts like one! We're not even real brothers" Len cried. Kaito frowned.

"Len-kun, I think you really hurt his feelings..." Arikusandoria stated softly.

"Yeah Len-san, Ari-chan is right! That really hurt me, and I was only playing!" The older Vocaloid added with a 'huff'.

"Was that an attempted flirt Kaito-nii?" Rin asked with a wink, causing Mitsumori to finally tune back into the conversation, and Len to turn red along with Kaito. "Wha-Whaaaa?! N-no! Ariku-chan is my friend! Not my date!" Kaito cried in protest, causing Ariku to frown.

"So you're saying I'm not pretty enough to be flirted with?" She asked with a sigh of depression. Len glared at Kaito.

"How dare you disrespect Ariku like that! Apologize Kaito!" He said, startling the older of the two.

"B-but I didn't mean it like that! I-I just met Ariku-chan today! Plus I think it's uh…Mitsumori-san who she likes!" Kaito blurted, desperately trying to defend himself from Len's verbal attacks. Mitsumori's eyes widened.

'Maybe it's true... just maybe.'

"N-no way! Mitsumori I-is like my best friend! We're just friends I assure you, right Mitsumori-sama?" Ariku responded quickly as she looked at her friend. **Just friends**

Well that hurts. A lot actually... Ariku-chan how could you be so cruel...?

Mitsumori felt depressed and lost in thought before Len tapped his shoulder. "Well? Is it true or is Ariku-chan secretly your girlfriend?" All eyes were on him. "….Or do YOU secretly like her?" Damn you guys sure know how to kick someone when they're down... Mitsumori sighed and stood up. I could say it right now. It'd be so easy and then I could see what happens but that would be messed up...

"Yeah...We're **just friends**." He said before walking out of the parlor, leaving his friends all in confusion.

"Hmm...Very suspicious..."Rin said, stroking her invisible beard and Kaito nodded.

"I wonder what's wrong, Mitsumori-sama usually doesn't get upset like that..." Ariku-chan said, slightly worried about her friend's sudden exit. Len nodded.

"Well...What about you Ari-chan? Do you, perhaps...secretly like someone already? I mean you've been here a month already (which is why it's odd you barely met Kaito)." Len said an amused look on his face.

"E-eh?! Uh...umm...m-maybe." Ariku stuttered, her face going red.

"HAHA! I knew it!" Rin cried happily and Len smirked. "So there is someone huh?" A defenseless Ari just nodded, holding her face. "Yes, Len-san..."

If only you knew that it was **you**...


	3. Chapter 3-Oh the Suspense, Ari-chan!

**Ch3.**

"Oh my gosh you have to tell us Ari-chan! I'm dying to know who it is!" Rin squealed excitedly as she giggled.

"Yeah, you haven't said ANYTHING about this mystery crush since Rin and Len made you admit you even had a crush two weeks ago! I'm like dying of suspense over here!" Miku said as well. Ariku had made friends with Rin's group of friends in the last two weeks ever since Rin introduced Ariku to them. And Ariku was pretty sure Rin only introduced them to her because Rin knew Ariku needed a girl-to-girl outlet.

There's **no way** she could possibly tell Mitsumori about her secret crush. _Could she?_

Come to think of it, I haven't seen Mitsumori around lately anyway…. I hope he's doing alright.

"Huh-LER! Earth to Ari-chan!" Teto called out to the spaced out girl, poking her arm repeatedly. Ariku spazzed out.

"Jeez woman! WHAT?!" ,the girl called out, but no one paid attention seeing as how Rin and Teto proceeded to re-enact Ariku's little spazz attack, laughing wildly at the same time.

"Oh gosh Ari-you're such a spazz!" Miku cried, laughing along with the other girls.

"She was probably lost in kissy-kissy land!" Rin stated, making kissing motions to tease Ariku.

"I-I was NOT! I was actually thinking about where Mitsumori has been this past week it's like he's-"

"Oh my gosh you _DO_ like Mitsumori-sama!"

Rin and the other two started squealing and rambling all over again. Neru just stayed texting on her phone.

"NO! I WAS GONNA SAY IT WAS LIKE HE'S BEEN AVOIDING ME EVER SINCE THAT DAY AT THE ICE CREAM PARLOR!" Ariku shouted, forming fists with her hands.

All four just stared at the girl with wide eyes, Neru dropping her phone.

"H-he hasn't been acting the same either, he won't return any of my calls or texts and I'm worried that my best friend is in trouble or something."

Rin's expression softened. "Oh…um I'm sorry. But that was Len's fault, he pressured him on the spot too much…" She said softly. "Maybe he was too hard on Mitsumori-sama, he does joke too seriously sometimes." Miku suggested. "Why don't you go tell Len about it and, y'know, make him feel guilty and stuffs for upsetting your friend?" Teto asked.

**Me**. Talk to **Len**.

**By Myself.**

Oh my.

"Come on Ari-chan! Knock some sense into that childish boy for us!" Rin pressured, Miku agreeing with her. Ariku's heart beat faster at the thought of doing this.

There's no way this would end well. I'd just screw up and embarrass myself...

Teto seemed to pick up on this and just giggled to herself. AS the other walked off, she cornered Ariku. "Ariku-chan… Its Len-kun you like isn't it?" She whispered, causing the girl with glasses to blush an intense red. "Ah...umm… yes Teto-chan. H-how did you know?" Ari stammered. Teto winked. "Lucky guess! You'll be okay Ari-chan! Just stay on alert around that boy alright?" Ariku nodded and her friend waved bye.

_Stay on alert_… what do you mean by that?

Ariku pondered what her friends had told her as she sighed and walked towards her house. "Hey! Where do you think you're going, girlie?" "Huh?" Rin had been spying on Ariku to see if she'd flake or go through with her friends' plan. "R-Rin-chan! Have you been stalking me this whole time?" Ariku cried, startled by the blond who creeped up on her.

"Well duh! You wouldn't tell me who it is you liked and I had a feeling I knew who it was! Now come on, you're gonna go talk to him RIGHT NOW!" Rin wouldn't take no for an answer and ignored all of Ari's protests as she dragged the poor Utau to the twins' house.


	4. Chapter 4-You Poor Innocent Girl

**Ch. 4- You Poor Innocent Girl**

"Hehe, now you sit right here and I'll go get Len!" Rin giggled with excitement as she practically shoved Ariku onto their couch. The girl squeaked and shook her head. "Rin-chan! D-don't please!" Ariku cried after she was done, chasing after the blonde. Rin squealed as Ariku chased her upstairs.

...Len-san is singing…Butterfly on Your Right Shoulder maybe? His voice is so nice... Ari thought but quickly snapped out of her daze as she tried capturing the blonde girl.

"Good luck Ariku!" She called, quickly turning a corner. As Ari was about to follow, she bumped into something.

"A-Ariku-chan! A-are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." A voice said.

Ariku looked up to see Len, on the floor in front of her.

Len? oh gosh I ran straight into him….

The shy girl blushed and looked down in embarrassment, burying her face in her knees. "Oh gosh I'm so sorry Len-san! I-I…Rin was…-"A hand on her face interrupted her. "It's okay Ariku-chan." He started as he lifted her face so she had to look at him.

His eyes are gorgeous, such a beautiful blue I could just stare at them for hours...

"It was an accident. I don't mind." Len flashed a smile and stood, holding out his hand to help her up. She broke out of her thoughts and accepted his hand, together pulling herself up.

"Th-thanks Len-san." She said softly, averting her gaze.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

The blonde reached in his jacket pocket for something.

"What is it?" Ariku asked, questioning what he was searching for.

"You see, Kaito was too scared to apologize to you in person about the whole 'I wouldn't date you' thing at the parlor so he made me deliver this to you. Personally." Len answered with a wink before laughing. Ariku smiled.

"Oh no, but I wasn't mad. I think Mitsumori was the one who was mad…" She said, her expression turning to one of slight worry as she accepted the envelope from Len.

"Oh? Is that why we haven't seen him around much? He's usually glued to you Ari-chan." Len questioned with concern, noticing the usual cheerful look she carried disappear.

"Yeah…I don't know what's up with him. Little things like that usually don't bother him so much… I actually came by to try and talk to you about it." She replied as she put the letter away in her bag.

"Oh… why don't we talk about this in my room instead of the hallway? Rin has a bad habit of eavesdropping on people's privacy."

Oh my gosh… I can't believe he just suggested that. **Me**. And** Len**. **Alone** together. **In. His. Room.** EEK!

As Ariku managed to suppress her mini heart attack, she remembered she came over with a purpose. Given she didn't willfully come over on her own, but nonetheless here she was. "That's for sure…" She agreed as Len led her back into his room. Blue walls with posters of his music singles and things he liked lined the room. A shelf, a dresser and vanity and twin sized bed were in there as well as a good sized closet. The room was big enough for him to even have a study desk with lamp, which was crowded at the moment with sheet music and pencils. "Wow Len, this is a nice little room you have here." Ariku said, comparing her cramped little apartment room to his open spaced one. He laughed. "You think so? I think it's way too small, but I manage." He replied happily as he sat on his bed, motioning for her to join him. "Well, I live in an apartment so it's very spacious compared to mine…" she admitted with a sigh. "But I manage haha." The pair laughed for a bit after. "Oh right! I wanted to talk to you about why I think Mitsumori might be upset." Len looked at her with concerned eyes. "See, I-I think you might've hit a nerve of his… he uh… he's kinda sensitive about topics that concern who I'm interested in y'know. Kinda like a brother would be." Ariku explained as she looked at him. Len tried not to laugh and nodded. "So in other words…. he got a little jealous maybe?" He suggested and she shook her head. "No, I don't think it's a jealousy thing. I just think he's overprotective towards me, I mean, we live in the same apartment together." She replied, causing his eyes to widen. "So, you two are living together? But you're just friends?" "Uh-huh." Len thought about this as he sure as heck put two and two together, while it was evident that Ariku was being very oblivious to the obvious. "Yeahhh...maybe I did just hit a nerve Ari-chan. I'll be more careful next time we all hang out okay?" Len gave her a big hug and she felt herself heat up all over again. "Th-th-thank you Len-san. I-I'm so glad you understand!" Ariku replied, returning the hug.

Please don't let go of me... Please just _**don't…**_

But of course after a few minutes it seemed, Len did let go of her. "Hey, why don't you listen to one of the songs I've been working on, given I think I dropped the sheet when we bumped into each other. …I sure hope Rin didn't take it…. I'm kinda embarrassed about it…" He trailed off as he left the room, giving Ariku no choice but to sit and wait for her crush to return. She looked around the room. "I wish I lived in a house like this… or just the room even!" She said to herself with a sigh. "But and Mitsumori don't have the money for a bigger apartment yet… and Creator Alex-sama is tight on cash too…." Ariku just sat there for a moment. "Oh hey, I should probably read what Kaito wrote in his note of apology." She remembered, taking out the small envelope to read.

_Um… Okay Ariku-chan I'm really sorry for sayin I wouldn't date you_

_I wanted to apologize for saying you weren't pretty but_

_Gah_

_I wanted to make it up to you for what I said the other day Ariku-chan, umm…. I hope you aren't mad at me. But uh… I actually can't seem to get you out of my head, not that that's a bad thing or anything but ummm…. anyways, would you like to get some ice cream with me? You know, to make up?_

Oh me oh my.

Ariku giggled as Len walked back in. "So uh…some surprise in that note of yours or what?" He said, carrying a piece of paper and pencil as he sat down next to her.

"Huh? O-oh, umm… haha, Kaito-san just wants to go get some ice cream with me. I was giggling at all the little things he crossed out. He also added a lot of "um"s and "but"s too, I found it so cute!" She responded happily causing the boy to raise an eyebrow.

"Mind if I read what he said?"

Ariku seemed a bit confused. "Um, okay I guess…" She replied, handing him the note.

"I just wanted to check something, if that's what you're wondering and I knew it!" The teen replied with a laugh after reading it.

"Wh-what is it Len-san?" Ari asked, wondering what it was he knew. After he stopped laughing, Len placed a hand on Ariku's and he looked at her. "Ari-chan… Kaito doesn't just want to get ice cream with you silly." Her cheeks went pink.

"N-no? wh-what else could he want?" she stuttered, causing him to laugh as he fixed his bangs with his free hand.

"No Ari that was his cover silly goose." Len continued, patting her head. Ariku just stared questioningly at him.

"…. Do you seriously not understand Ariku-chan?" The boy asked after a moment of her staring, to which she shook her head. "Oh gosh, you are so innocent huh? Haha, that's _**really **_cute." He said with a wink, making her heart beat faster as she blushed and shyly looked away. "Kaito-san is a lucky person…"

"What exactly is it you are getting at Len-san?"

He grinned. "Kaito-sama wants to take you to get ice cream with him because it's his way of going on a date with you!" He exclaimed before laughing, watching Ariku's face darken from embarrassment as she hid it from him.

"A-are you s-serious Len-san? Kaito-sama w-wants to go out on a date? W-with me?" She stuttered, holding her face.

"Yes Ariku-chan! I wouldn't lie about something like that. I mean look at what he wrote,

_'I can't seem to get you outta my head,'_

Come on! Unless of course… you've never been in this type of situation before." Len said, tapping his foot.

"…I-I actually have never been in a situation like this…. I thought he was just being nice to me…" Ariku replied softly, still embarrassed.

"...I don't get asked out Len, i-I just don't…" Len's expression softened.

"Oh…um well that's okay Ariku-chan, sometimes it's a lot better being single and hanging out with friends who care about you. I mean, you're a sweet person, but not everyone is-"

"Nice. I know. People can be very mean for no reason. It's not pretty to wear glasses, or I'm too tall, or I don't sing nice or I'm too shy and stutter a lot when embarrassed…" Ariku finished the boy's sentence with a sigh of sadness.

"I didn't mean to upset you Ari-chan… I was trying to help." He said softly.

"It's okay Len-san… I just… I've never been treated so nicely before by anyone. Ever since we came here, Mitsumori has seen how happy I've been, I think it puts him at ease. Before we got transferred here, he was my only friend… so now it worries me a little to get too close to anyone even though I can't help wanting to be closer to…. Ah, um never mind…." She caught herself.

Should I admit it? I-I could confess right here and now and see what happens….I don't think it's the right time though….

"Its perfectly understandable Ari-chan, I'm just having a hard time believing someone as sweet and cute as you are could be treated so badly." Len said, hoping he actually cheered her up this time. Ari smiled.

"Thank you for thinking so."

He sounds **so different** with me…. I wonder why…

"Um…Ariku." Her attention went back to the boy and his words.

"Yes Len-san?" He hesitated before speaking.

"… You'd make a nice girlfriend. Just saying." Len finished with a smile as he got up. Ariku was surprised.

"Um, y-you think so?" She questioned and he nodded at her.

"Yeah, I really do."

The pair just stayed silent for a moment, looking at each other.

"But uh… anyways, you might want to go meet Kaito-san soon, its rude to stand someone up if you haven't called ahead of time." Len said, his eyes avoiding hers as he walked out of his room.

"W-wait! I wanted to hear your song though…" Ari called, following him. Len turned around and chuckled.

"Ari, you can hear it anytime you want, just come over whenever alright? I wouldn't want Kaito to be upset you were late." He responded with a wink before walking off again.

Ari was left standing by herself in the hallway. She let out a sigh as she turned around and headed for the front door.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch 5: I can't believe I let her do that**

"So close…. I-I was so close. At least…I think I was…" she said to herself, one hand on the doorknob.

"And yet here you are… still in my house." A voice came followed by a giggle.

Ariku looked up to see Rin blocking the exit.

"R-rin?! Why do you keep doing that?!" Ari cried to which the girl just giggled some more.

"Because it's fun seeing you freak out like that silly! Anyways, I overheard you talking about to confessing right? Well come on! You can still do this Ari, just like run to his studio room and blurt it out. Sure he may be shocked half to death but-"

"Rin I can't… I have to go meet Kaito-sama right now." Ariku interrupted the babbling girl who just stared back blankly.

"Kaito-sama? …Well what the eff for?!" She cried after a moment. Ariku explained what happened and showed her the note.

"Oooooohhhhh…. Yeah, he totes is using that as a date for you. But, I thought you liked you-know-who?" Rin said, shooting Ariku a questioning glance.

"I-I do!"

"Then let's go take care of this!" Ariku felt herself being pushed back down the hall towards Len's room.

"No Rin! Stop it!" She cried, pushing Rin off of her.

"…Len said I had to go meet Kaito-sama because I didn't call or anything…. I don't even have Kaito's number." She whispered. Rin put her hands on her hips.

"Look girlie, you have a perfect shot right now at doing this, Kaito-nii can get all butt hurt about it if he wants, but you aren't interested yes?" She started off, to which Ari nodded.

"That's right, now I want you to go into that room and-"

"And do what? You do realize I'm trying to record my music sis, and you're making it kind of difficult to do so."

The girls looked up to see Len walk out of a room.

"Oh, sorry Len, I was just trying to explain something to Ariku."

"Oh yeah? I highly doubt you'd make it so she could understand, you always come off so stupid, Rin."

Rin pouted. "You know what, maybe I'll just go talk to her somewhere else if we're bothering you sooooo much!" Len smirked.

"Maybe you should. Unless Ariku doesn't care to talk to you."

The twins glared at each other before addressing the poor girl.

"Well, WHO are you gonna go with?!" They cried, scaring Ari.

"I-i…I GOTTA GO!" She cried, before running out of the house.

The twins were shocked.

"….Maybe we scared her a bit too much…"

"Yeah….Maybe we did. I'm gonna go talk to her."

"No Len, she needs a GIRL's advice right now." T

he boy shot her a pathetic look. "Really Rin? You're gonna corrupt a perfectly innocent girl the way YOU give advice."

"Not true!" Rin replied with a hmph. Len just shook his head.

"Look I already explained to her the note Kaito left her and she had a hard time understanding the whole thing, I'm sure she just told you about it right?" Rin nodded.

"Exactly, now leave the girl alone. Ari-chan needs to process one thing at a time when it comes to dealing with dating and stuff... And we should probably go find where the hell Mitsumori has been because she's worried about her friend."

Rin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? And why do **you** care all of a sudden?" She asked with a grin. Len thought about his answer carefully.

"Because, I feel like it's my fault he's been avoiding her." He responded though his expression hid something else.

"Well good, because you should feel that way. You can be so mean sometimes Len!" Rin called after a moment as her brother just walked back to his room.

Well played Brother. **_Well…Played_**. Rin thought, content with her little mischief before remembering something. "Oh crap! I gotta go tell her before she gets in trouble!"

* * *

"K-Kaito-sama! I'm sorry I'm late, I had to walk here." Ariku apologized as she noticed the somewhat depressed bluenette in a gray shirt, pants, and of course his scarf sitting by himself at a booth. He instantly brightened up as he saw Ariku sit down with him, flashing a smile at her.

"It's okay, I probably should've had given you my number, I would've come and picked you up but I didn't think about it till now…" Kaito replied and she smiled.

"I waited for you to get here so you could order first."

"Aw thank you, that's very sweet. And I didn't know you wore glasses too, I like them Kaito-san!" Ariku noted, happy she wasn't alone in wearing glasses.

"Oh, yeah I sometimes do, but I don't truly need them, I really wear them 'cause I like the way they make people look, always so smart and stuff." He answered, causing her to giggle.

"Wh-what's so funny?"

"Oh, I just like the way you speak, it's different from how I'm used to being talked to is all." Ariku responded softly.

"I'm not laughing at you I promise, I'm pretty sure you're the first person I've talked to who likes glasses so much." Kaito chuckled.

"Really? No one has ever told you they like glasses?" She shook her head and looked down.

"Quite the opposite actually…"

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "Ariku-chan, personally, I like the way glasses look._ Especially on you_." He said softly, hoping he didn't blush. Ariku on the other hand did, her shy little self unable to handle compliments from guys too well.

People are gonna think I'm sick from how red I turn one of these days….

"Speaking of which, where are your's today?"

"Hm? O-oh! I think I left them at the twin's house on accident… I didn't even notice they were gone." She replied.

"Oh? Are you okay? Do you need them?" Kaito asked, thinking she might be as blind as a bat.

"No no, I just can't tell the difference in depth perception. It's a little bothersome, but I can see everything fine. Like if you were to lean in or something, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference." She explained, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, well we can go get them later." Kaito replied with a smile,

"Th-thank you Kaito-sama." She mumbled, trying to regain her composure. "Anytime. Now why don't we get some ice cream like I promised?" the girl nodded happily. "Sure."

The pair briefly looked over what flavor to get when after realizing both were undecided, Kaito stood up.

"You know… we could um, go look at the freezer up front. They let us try stuff out before we actually decide haha." He suggested happily, holding his hand out to Ariku. She laughed. "

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea since neither of us know what we want." Ariku replied, taking his hand. Kaito held her hand as they walked up to the front.

Neither of them knew they were being watched…

"Oh thank gosh I finally made it to this place!" Rin panted, throwing herself against the parlor window as she searched for her friends. Rin gasped dramatically as she noticed them at the front of the store, holding hands.

"So he has begun….I gotta save her before he tries to seal the deal!" She cried before opening the door and sneaking inside, making sure they didn't notice she was spying.

"I think we finally made a choice! A caramel sundae for the lady, and I shall have a regular rainbow sherbet in a cone!" Kaito said happily, throwing his hand up into the air excitedly. Ariku laughed.

"You really love ice cream huh?" She asked, as he paid for the treats. He grinned.

"I really do, its one of my favorite things in the world. Next to one thing… maybe.." Kaito mumbled the last part as they waited semi-awkwardly for their desserts.

"Oh? And what might that be Kaito-sama?" Ariku asked curiously, watching the older Vocaloid hesitate with his answer.

Oh no, he can't possibly be trying that so soon. Rin thought, peeking at them from behind the magazine she was reading. Kaito-nii you better not….

"Kaito-sama?" Ariku said a second time, causing the boy to snap out of his daze.

"Hm? Oh right, the other thing…. Well it might be umm… y-"

"Here you go sir!" The cashier said energetically as she handed the duo their respective desserts. The boy flinched.

"Uhh… thank you mam." He responded slowly before looking at Ariku.

"Um, let's go sit back down now Ari-chan." He suggested, putting on a fake smile as he hid his obvious frustration with the cashier's horrible timing. She nodded and followed him back to their table.

How am I supposed to get her distracted from him? They seem like they're having a really good time… but, Ari-chan said she doesn't like Kaito that way. Gah! That girl makes no sense sometimes…. Oh duh! I'll just send her a texty text and tell her to meet me outside… oh dang it, I don't think she has her phone on her. Hmm… I could throw something too. Yeah, that might work, I just hope I don't miss it. Rin finished the conversational thoughts she was having herself and decided her weapon of choice would be an ice cream cone.

However in the midst of her thoughts the pair had lost the awkwardness and had been happily conversing.

"I gotta do it quick, Kaito-nii may get another chance soon…" Rin said to herself as she observed the friends.

"I hope you didn't mind that I had Len give you my note, I-I got nervous a little bit…." Kaito mumbled the last part.

"Kaito-sama its fine, I enjoy your company and I wasn't mad at all." Ariku reassured, making the bluenette smile wide.

"R-really?" He asked as he leaned in closer to Ariku slightly from across the table.

_That sly dog_…. Rin thought, readying her cone.

"Yes Kaito-sama, you're a good person." She said happily, not paying attention to the now even closer Kaito. He smiled.

"I'm glad you think so." Kaito said softly, his blue eyes softening behind his fake glasses. The poor innocent UTAU was blind to all signs Kaito was blatantly flashing and within the next instant, **smooch**! A pair of surprisingly warm lips despite their ice cream crashed onto Ari's and the girl turned bright red.

"I-I like you too." Kaito mumbled, looking down and away shyly.

Rin, enraged that she missed her shot, flipped her table and threw down the hat she was wearing.

"GOD FREAKIN GIRRRR! KAITO, YOU STYUPID WHORAHHHH!" She yelled, throwing the now melting ice cream at the vocaloid.

Stunned by the twin's reveal, the pair looked at her in shock, both now red. Poor Kaito was paralyzed in fear and the cone was a direct hit… to his face.

"R-Rin-chan!? Wh-why do you keep popping up everywhere I go?!" Ariku stuttered, highly embarrassed and upset as she helped Kaito get the frosty treat off his face. Rin paused.

"Because I love you…. **_Because I love you_**." She whispered very dramatically, gripping her chest.

There was a moment of awkward silence…

"No homo. I'm really here because I forgot to tell you one teensy important detail…" She trailed off as she grabbed by Ariku by the wrist and pulled her off to the side. It was evident that Ariku was very upset by the whole situation.

"I can't believe you spied on us the whole time! You… you meanie!" Ari whispered loudly, holding her face.

"H-hey! I was only trying to prevent him from being your boyfriend Ari-chan!" Rin said uneasily. Upon hearing this, Ariku's eyes widened slightly.

"B-boyfriend?" she stuttered. The two exchanged a glance, looked over at the flustered bluenette who was sitting down by himself at the table, cleaning up ice cream still.

"Mhmm… but I missed my chance. I'm sorry for ruining your date that you didn't really wanna go on anyways…" Rin stated, half apologizing as she hung her head. Ariku sighed.

"I-it's okay, it was actually nice but what do you mean, by prevent him from being my boyfriend?" She asked. Rin looked at her in astonishment.

"You mean you don't know?" she asked and Ariku shook her head.

"Oh my… well you see Ari-chan, in these parts, if a boy kisses you on a date, you're his girlfriend. It's a stupid way of claiming girls over here but it's been that way ever since I can remember…" Rin explained softly, causing Ari to gasp.

"B-but I don't wanna date him…. I-I mean I had a nice time, but I-"

"Ari-chan, why did you let him kiss you? He made it very obvious what he was doing…" Rin interrupted, not being able to figure out the girl's reaction.

"Oh um… see I don't have my glasses on so I naturally can't tell differences in depth perception…Its a kinda glitch in my programming that was never fixed... I honestly had no idea he had even leaned in." Ariku admitted softly.

"Dang it Ari! Okay okay, we'll go get your glasses and then we'll try and hide this whole little thing from Len because I know how much you like my brother. I'll wait for you outside while you go try and clear things up with Kaito-nii."

"But Rin-chan! What if I mess up? I-I can't be mean to him now… he'll be sad." Ariku said, looking over her shoulder at the boy who just smiled and waved awkwardly at her.

"See? He's already feeling bad…. I feel like I at least owe it to him to give him a chance…." Rin stared blankly at the girl.

"A-are you really saying what I think you're saying? Who the hell cares if he's upset, you really like Len and you know it. I've SEEN it Ari-chan." She started, scolding the girl's suggestion. Ariku sighed.

"I know. I know… but I can't stand to see him upset Rin-chan… just for a little while. Who knows? Maybe it'll make Len-san jealous or something and then he'll admit to me he likes me…" Ariku replied, seeming to satisfy the blond who was contemplating this.

"Hmm…. Date Kaito-nii for a while to see if Len gets jealous enough to come begging you to date him…? Good idea Ari-chan! Okay, I approve, but only cause you came up with a good excuse for it!" She giggled as she ran outside waving bye. Ariku smiled, happy she didn't have to hurt anyone and walked back to Kaito.

"Well um…Kaito-sama" She started. The Vocaloid looked at her, already bracing himself for the worst.

"Yes Ari-chan?"

All she had to do was kiss his cheek really quickly, the UTAU getting very shy and embarrassed as she pulled away."Uh…um, I had a really nice time. I-I uh…I hope we do this again sometime." She stuttered shyly, smiling at the bluenette. Kaito turn bright red but smiled.

"I'm glad you had a good time Ari-chan. I-I had a good time too. Um…"

The pair stood there awkwardly and shyly, both looking down and away.

"I guess I'll uh…"

"I can give you a ride if you need it Ariku-chan."

The girl looked up at her friend.

"Actually….Rin said she would take me home. U-unless you wanted to-"

"That's okay, um… Rin is probably waiting for you, but before you go, here." Kaito said softly, handing Ariku a piece of paper.

"I figure since we're um… uh-" "

Together?" Ariku finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah, I mean, not that I'm forcing you or anything! I-I just-" The boy trailed off, trying to find the right way to say what he wanted. Ariku placed her hand on his.

"Kaito-sama, it's okay. It might be a little awkward at first, but that usually fades away… right?" She said, trying to calm the flustered teen. He smiled at her.

"Yeah… I mean, it's just more awkward because of Rin… but yeah it usually fades away pretty quickly." He replied and Ariku smiled, not letting on that she really didn't know what to expect. "That's good to know. I better go Kaito-sama. See you Monday!" She said cheerfully as she walked away.

She cut me off before I could tell her what I wrote down. He thought with a flustered sigh, but shrugged it off as he watched his new girlfriend leave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch 6. All the awkwardness and tension in the world!**

It's been a while since I've seen Arikusandoria…. I wonder if she cared.

Mitsumori thought as he walked through the halls to his class. As he sat down, he noticed that everyone seemed to be gossiping about one thing or another but only one caught his attention.

"…and so apparently he's going out with this Ariku girl or somethin' now!"

"Oh my gosh, no way! She's soooo lucky!"

He felt his heart stop. Ariku. Has. A boyfriend. I wonder if its **Len**…

The teen did not question the two girls who were talking, though he was dying to know who it was. "Yeah, and like, apparently Len-san is sooooo jealous!"

"Eek! This girl is my idol, Kaito-nii all to herself AND having Len-kun dying for her attention; a girl's number one wish!"

"I'm sorry what?"  
Mitsumori finally questioned, astonished to learn that it was not Len his best friend was dating.

No, it was the freaky _bluenette_ from the ice cream parlor instead.

"Hm? Oh yeah, this Arikusandoria or something like that is Shion's new girlfriend." The girl responded, her group now facing him.

"Oh my gosh I just saw them walking together down the hall, it was sooo cute! They are so adorable AND good looking together!"

As the girls continued gushing about the news, Mitsumori was still at a loss trying to figure out how his friend ended up with someone she had barely met. As he zoned out into his thoughts, a pair of familiar faces walked in the room.

"Oh there he is! Look Luka, Higorashi is here today!" The tall purple haired guy said to his pink headed companion.

"Well it's about time, I was beginning to think you were avoiding us." She said as they made they were over to the dark haired male. Mitsumori was tuning them out as even more worry entered his thoughts.

_Did one of them just say Ariku was getting sick? How could she be getting sick? Why didn't she tell me anything? But still, why would she date Kaito? I thought she was closer to Len._

"Mitsumori! Hello? Are you even there?" The one described as Luka called out, poking his head.

"Ah! Huh? Oh sorry Luka-san, I zoned out there…" He apologized, pushing away his demanding thoughts momentarily.

"Dude… you look like crud. What the hell happened to you?" The purple one asked blatantly.

"Oh, um… its nothing Gakupo-san." Mitsumori answered, fixing his hair.

"Don't give us that Mitsumori, you've been MIA since we saw you in the lab last week, what's been going on with you?"

Gosh dangit… I forgot to give Luka and Gakupo the heads up. Mitsumori thought with a big sigh- he had met the two the day after the incident at the ice cream shop and the trio became good friends quickly.

"Come on, we can talk about this at lunch." Gakupo said, letting up on the harsh questions.

"Yeah, and you still haven't told me about this Ari girl you adore so much!" Luka added, actually excited to hear the rest of the boy's confession.

* * *

"…And so um… yeah, that's it. I've fallen for the girl I was created for. I guess that was my master's intention but Arikusandoria hasn't yet been uh...awakened I guess. She has lots of glitches every now and then. That's why I need to see her; some of the girls from class were saying she might be getting sick." Mitsumori had finished his story before continuing to eat his soup at their lunch table.

His friends just stared at him in disbelief.

"So… you two aren't even true UTAUs? Just random creations by a young prodigal professor who lives by herself?" Luka finally asked to which the boy nodded.

"That's… pretty intense, you two sound just like us, minus a few minor frequencies." Gakupo stated, impressed at the UTAU's master's work.

"Thanks, Ari is self-conscious about this secret though; she wasn't very accepted at the last school we went so she doesn't really want anyone to find out."

"Well she doesn't have to worry, we won't tell anyone. But we will try and help her realize she was meant for you… literally." His friends laughed but were quite serious about helping out the UTAU.

Mitsumori smiled. "You guys are the best!"

"Oh Kaito-sama you're so sweet!" A familiar voice called the male's attention.

"Ariku-chan?"

The girl accompanied by the bluenette froze in her tracks.

"O-oh, um… hello Mitsumori-san. I- we were just walking to our lunch table." Ariku answered shyly, though her and Kaito still had their hands joined.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again Mitsumori-san, we were wondering where you had ran off to after I met you." Kaito stated to the silent boy before waving and continuing to walk Ariku to their table.

_…So its true…_

"Well, at least Kaito is a nice person, everyone likes him and he's not a jerk." Luka said, trying to cheer up Mitsumori who looked worse than before.

"Yeah, Kaito may be a bit clueless but he's nice." Gakupo added.

"Huh..? Oh, well yeah that's good at least." He managed to say, trying to cheer himself up.

Just look at her, she's been totally integrated into that Vocaloid group as if she isn't the shy girl I know and care for.

There wasn't much conversation at their table through the rest of lunch after they had seen Ariku and Kaito together. Luka and Gakupo watched as their friend just stared helplessly at the other Vocaloids who had taken Ariku under their wing.

"Mitsumori, why don't you join us in the recording studio later? I want you to hear a song that may help in grabbing Ari's attention." Luka said finally, slipping the male a piece of paper as she and Gakupo stood up.

"You know, to 'awaken' her like you were saying earlier."

"Oh, sure, I'll try and make it Luka-san. Thanks again." Mitsumori replied putting the piece of paper in his pocket.

"Well, uh… good luck with your little um… assignment? Yeah, we'll go with that. Try not to let your jealousy show okay? It'll turn her away quickly." Gakupo advised as he and Luka walked off together.

* * *

"So Ariku-chan, still feel a little awkward around Kaito-sama eh?" Rin giggled as she watched the girl nod.

"J-just a little bit, but he's really nice!" She exclaimed happily, causing her table of friends to go 'aww'.

"You two are so adorable! I love it!" Teto squealed before taking a bite out of her loaf of bread.

"Really Teto-chan? …Really? Not even like a sandwich, just bread?" Len gave her a dumb look to which the UTAU nodded vigorously.

"It's like, the best thing on the planet uh duh!" She fired back, making the others laugh.

"Anyways, I can honestly say, and I'm not trying to be mean here, but, I never would've seen you and Kaito-nii get together. You only met like, what, 3 weeks before?" Len said, addressing the new couple.

"Well… yeah, but… Ariku-chan is just so adorable and sweet Len-san!" Kaito answered, noticing how different Len was acting today.

"Aww, thank you. And Kaito-sama just made it so easy to connect with!" Again, the groups of Loids were all so happy. **Except for Len**. Oh he played along very well with everyone's joy and acted the same, but deep down these words cut away at him.

Every **laugh**. Every **smile**. Every **sentence she spoke**. He simply could not understand why it all bugged him so much lately. The image of Ariku and his friend, Kaito, now seemed to plague his mind everywhere he went.

"Why does this bother me so much?" the young teen was lost for an answer. "Why Why **WHY**."

"Well, I hope we see you all there! Especially you and Ari-chan!" His twin's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Huh?" Len looked around in confusion as the others had gotten their stuff and started leaving for class.

"What do you mean 'huh'? You know full well we are hosting the Halloween party this year! Oh my gosh its gonna be soooo much fun!" His sister explained, nudging his arm.

"Oh…. Oh yeah! Sorry I zoned out for a sec." Rin laughed.

"Yeah I noticed, you've been doing that a LOT lately ever since Kaito-nii and Ari-chan got together. You do it in front of her a lot when she's trying to talk to you." Rin replied, shooting her brother a curious look.

She purposely tries to talk to me? And I ignore her? What is wrong with me? No. I don't like her. Do i? Maybe that's why Kaito-nii has been hugging and kissing Ariku anytime I see them. Is he trying to make me jealous? I thought he was supposed to be the oblivious one…

"..And that's when- LEN!" His sister shouted at him.

"Did you even hear what I tried to say?" Len sighed.

"…maybe." He replied, causing her to groan in frustration.

"I thought Kaito-nii was supposed to be the oblivious one here! …Wait a minute…." Rin paused as she apparently got an idea.

_She probably thought the exact same thing I just went over in my head….crap._

"You like Ariku-chan… don't yo-" "I've gotta go!" Len cut off his sister, already knowing that question's ending as he got his stuff and ran off to class. "At least invite Mitsumori for me! I don't see him during the day!" She cried out before chuckling to herself.

Rin stood there and smirked.

"I see, I see. So Ariku has been doing a good job at making Len jealous. Good girl."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Party time! Not yet…**

"Alright, Luka-chan, what is it that you wanted me to listen to?" Mitsumori asked as he slipped through the open door. The lady turned around and smiled. "Oh good you're here early! Listen to what they're singing!" She replied in a loud whisper, pointing at the pair in the recording room.

A guy with teal blue hair accompanied Len and Gakupo.

"Wow…they sound pretty good… what are they singing Luka-chan?" Mitsumori whispered, watching the guys continue their session.

"It's a song called Rolling Girl, I wanted you to hear it because I thought you could sing it nicely. Len could play keyboard for you like he is now, and I'm sure he'd sing the harmonies with you. And Rin could play guitar for you; sure she's not perfect at it, but together the twins pull off amazing vocals with their instruments too." Luka explained, enjoying the boys' song.

"You want me to sing Rolling Girl? They don't even sound like they're singing in Japanese!" At this Luka laughed.

"Yeah, they're singing in English, Mitsumori-kun. I bet you sing English easier though, which is why I suggested you come hear it first. Your master is an American, no?" Mitsumori was astonished at Luka's intense insight and nodded.

"Yeah…she eventually learned Japanese to create me."

"Exactly! So you know English better than we do, don't you?" Mitsumori could see the increasing excitement light up Luka's expression.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, Master did create me to sing all sorts of music so I have English pretty well programmed into my system."

"And I'm guessing Arikusandoria has a good English voice bank programmed too doesn't she?" Mitsumori nodded.

"Good!"

As the two discussed more while listening to the ending of the song, Len, Gakupo, and their mystery friend started talking to each other.

"What do you think they're talking about out there?" Gakupo questioned, putting up his headset.

"I don't know, and why did she invite Mitsumori-san here? Is she planning something Gakupo-sama?" Len replied to which Gakupo shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but it seems that way huh? What do you think Mikuo?" Upon hearing his name, the teal haired boy looked up and took off his headset.

"Sorry, I was listening to my vocals." He answered. "What was the question?"

Len laughed. "Really like the way you sound huh? Anyways, we were wondering what you think Luka-chan is planning with Mitsumori."

"Mitsumori?" The boy was confused; he hadn't yet formally met Mitsumori.

"Oh, my bad. The dark haired boy out there with Luka-chan is Higorashi Mitsumori, he and his friend Sanaka Arikusandoria are new here."

"Ohhhh…. Okay. Umm… well how long has he been here? The whole song?" Mikuo asked, focusing on Mitsumori.

"I think so, I thought I saw him walk in when I briefly wasn't looking at the piano keys during our last run through." Len answered.

"I knew he was gonna be here, but I thought she meant later."

"So let's say he's been here like the whole song. Luka-san probably wants to hear him sing Rolling Girl like we did. In English." Mikuo answered thoughtfully.

"No way! He doesn't even look like he can sing. Wait… why is she handing him a garment bag?" Gakupo cried in disbelief as they all just stared at the scene unfolding before them.

"They looped our song on purpose guys… Luka totally wants this to be a secret." Len said, noting the track playing through the room's speakers now, instead of their headsets.

"That shady little girl… look, he's going off to go change I guess, and she's just standing there smiling. What the hell is going on?!" Gakupo wasn't sure to be upset by his girlfriend's actions or to be confused as to what truly was talked about.

"Calm down, Gaku-san. I'm sure she is just trying something out for the Halloween party. You know, we always have a talent show. Maybe it's to help the others get to know Mitsumori-san better." Len suggested and Mikuo agreed.

"I've seen him before come to think of it. He's always wearing a button down shirt or a jacket. And jeans. And glasses. Not that there's anything wrong with glasses, it's just, he seemed like a major computer tech to me. I guess he must sing pretty well for Luka-chan to take an interest like that." Mikuo stated and the other nodded.

"Yeah that's true… I mean, the only one I've seen him talk to a lot is Ariku-chan, she sure can get that boy talking. A LOT." Gakupo said.

"Really? He seems to talk to you and Luka a lot too."

"Yeah but it's different when he talks with Ariku-chan." As the trio conversed over Mitsumori's habits and appearance, they were forced to stare when he walked back in, changed in what they all took as street concert attire.

"Luka-chan, I didn't think I'd actually like these clothes, but... it turns out I do! Are you sure Ariku would like stuff like this?"

"Positive! And you do look really good in them. I knew you liked jackets so I found one that would go. The graphic shirt was my idea because I felt you needed an image on shirts now. That and it gives you an excuse to take your jacket off to reveal-" She paused and she slid the jacket off his shoulders quickly, embarrassing the boy. "Your shoulders in a nice tank!" She said happily.

"Y-yeah… thanks. And I like the gloves and pants a lot too." Mitsumori stuttered, putting the jacket back on.

"Oh, that's a relief, I wasn't sure about them at first, but now I'm glad I got them for you. And I liked the boots a lot for you. All you're missing now is this." She presented him with an all white headset, save a few navy lines and buttons on it.

"Oh wow, this is nice. Why did you get me all this stuff anyway?" Mitsumori said, accepting the headset.

"Because, it'll grab Ariku-chan's attention to you! I know how much you really want to make that happen, so I decided I will personally help you the whole way through. Plus, I needed an excuse to make you wear different clothes; people were starting to wonder if you could even sing. You sure didn't look like a Vocaloid to us, and even if you are UTAU, you really didn't seem much like a Singer." Luka explained with a chuckle.

"Oh…well I guess I could try something new… change is good after all." He replied and she nodded.

"Exactly, now wait here and I'll kick the boys out. Then we can start on your routine. Just act cool and confident, she'll melt right into your hands if you can pull it off." She said before cutting the track.

"Un."

"Be."

"Leiveable." The boys stated, looking at the new and improved Mitsumori.

"It's like a whole new person."

"She even got him contacts?!" Mikuo and Len were shocked.

"She never buys me anything…." Gakupo said with a sigh.

"Hey…that looks a lot like my headset! Oh wait, his has blue, we're good." Len said, noticing the headset in his hands.

"Damn…. Luka sure can dress a guy huh?" Mikuo stated.

"Now I wonder how well he sings."

"I know, I'm wondering that too. Now that he looks the part, he should have the voice to match the look." Len said and the others nodded.

"Alright guys, that sounded really good, now getcha butts outta here. I've got a project to work on." Luka said into the mic for the boys to hear. Gakupo was the first to run out of the room

"LET ME LOVE YOU!" He yelled, tackling the poor girl from behind as they fell.

"Aiyee! G-Gakupo-san get OFF!" She cried, attempting to shove the giant off of her. The other two snickered.

"A bit touchy feely there aren't we Gaku-kun?" Mikuo stated as they just watched the scene unveil.

"Oh, hey Mitsumori, this is Hatsune Mikuo. Mikuo-kun, this is Higorashi Mitsumori." Len said, introducing the two.

"Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." Len laughed as Luka finally managed to squeeze her way out of Gakupo's grasp.

"Never a dull moment with you two." He snickered. Luka stood and shook her head with a 'hmph.'

"Freaking hate you guys!" She shouted.

"Aw come on sweet heart, don't be like that." Gakupo stated with a pout. Luka glared at Gakupo before pointing to the door.

"Out. **Now**." She hissed, causing the boy to huff and drag his butt out the door.

"Luka can be so scary, no?" Mikuo whispered to which Mitsumori and Len nodded.

"As for Mikuo, I'm afraid I need you to leave too. Mitsumori can get acquainted with you next week at the party."

"Party?" Mitsumori asked in confusion.

"Yeah, didn't Rin tell you?" Luka and Mikuo now looked at the boy.

"No… I don't see her throughout the day." He replied. "Oh yeah, I had been meaning to run into you actually. Rin wanted me to invite you to our Halloween party; our group of friends always throws one and this year it's at our house. Ariku-chan is going too." Len explained with a smile.

"Really? So this is like a big thing huh?"

"Yeah kinda. The main thing is the talent show, AKA concert, and the girls usually throw a dance the next day." Mikuo added. Mitsumori actually seemed excited about it.

"Sounds like fun, yeah I'll go." He answered, making the Vocaloids smile.

"Oh splendid! I was hoping you'd go!" She exclaimed.

"Well, I guess I'll be going like you asked Luka-chan. See you next weekend Mitsumori, nice meeting you." He said as he grabbed his bag and walked out. When the door shut, Len leaned back against the wall. "So why am I here still Luka-chan? Is there something you need my skills for?" Len cut straight to the chase

. "Actually, I was hoping you'd play keyboard for Mitsumori. I want him to sing the English version of Rolling Girl next weekend at the party." She explained.

"Wait… so the clothes and the stuff are so that I can perform next week at this concert/party?" Mitsumori questioned. "Looks that way Mitsu-san. Since we just recorded the instrumental and our version, Luka-chan, why don't I just sing the harmonies with him? Seems logical doesn't it?" Len suggested.

"I don't see a problem with that, I just need the words please." Mitsumori stated.

"Hmm….well I guess so. I'm sure you just want to give your hands a rest since I just made you run through the song several times." She stated after a moment of thought.

"Yeah, the piano part is intricate and requires meticulous skill to keep up with tempo." Len replied, sounding quite intellectual.

"Alright then, Mr. Smarty Pants, let's get to it then. Here you go Mitsumori, Just follow Len's lead with the notes."

"Oh don't worry Luka-chan, I have a sonographic ear. I should do just fine." He replied, confusing the girl.

"He remembers sounds instantly, a-duh!" Len said stupidly for Luka. She shot Len a glare.

"I'm not 'tarded Len, gosh!" She stated.

"Well you sure looked that way a minute ago." Mitsumori watched as the two argued back and forth.

"Hey, um, I have to go pick up Ariku and I some food for the house guys. Can we please just get this over with?" He piped up, but the pair ignored him.

At this rate I won't have enough time to get to the store before it closes..

"HEY!" Luka and Len stared at Mitsumori. "Why're you shouting?"

"Yeah, you coulda just told us to stop." The UTAU sighed.

"But i- never mind, let's just get this done." He said, walking into the recording room. Len followed.

"Play the track woman." He said with a snicker before shutting the door behind him.

"I just wanna slap that boy some days, ugh!" She muttered to herself as she turned on their mics and selected the track. As Luka listened to the boys perform the song she smiled. "They sound really good together. Hopefully Ariku-chan will like it as well." She thought, nodding her head to the beat of the music.

This plan just might work.

As the track ended, the boys looked up through the glass window and waved to Luka. "Do you think she liked it?"

"I dunno, but she seemed to enjoy listening to us."

Just then Luka's voice came over the speaker. "You guys did great! Thanks for helping Len-san." She said happily as they high-fived each other and put up their head sets. "I will admit, you sing pretty well Mitsumori-san. I never knew you had such a nice voice." Len complimented.

"Huh? Oh, yeah I used to sing all the time. But you know how it is being the new guy." Mitsumori answered as they walked out.

"Haha, yeah, but I don't consider you new anymore. Although the outfit change may be the start of a new chapter. You should keep it that way, it's working for you." Len said, noting the new clothes.

"Oh yeah? Thanks Len-san." Mitsumori replied, glad that he didn't look too odd.

"Of course, you should keep that style now, I'm sure Ariku has had a style change too." Len added as they walked outside the building together. "I doubt it, Ariku-chan is so timid, she likes her clothes the way they are." Len chuckled at this response, confusing the boy.

"Then you really don't know Rin. Come on, I can almost bet you the girls are up to something. Just follow me to my house and from there you can pick up Ari and take her home." Len stated with a smile. Mitsumori thought about it.

_Rin doesn't take no for an answer very well…._

"Well Rin does have a way of getting what she wants…. Alright then, let's go check it out!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Ch. 8: You Will Wear This and LIKE It**

"Come on Ariku-chan! Hurry up and come out already!"

"Yeah, we wanna see your cute little date outfit!"

Arikusandoria was currently changing inside Rin's closet. On the other side of the door were her friends Rin, Miku, Teto, Neru, Zatsune, and Gumi.

I feel so….so naked. She thought as she sighed tiredly.

Gosh… I hope this glitch goes away soon, I don't think I can keep it from them much longer.

"Do you need help with the zipper?"

"Come on! Change faster!"

A 'click' came from the door and out walked a very shy Ariku who was rubbing her arm. She was in a short, tight fitting dress with thigh high stockings and little Mary Jane's.

"Eek! Oh my gosh you look so adorable!" Miku squealed, hugging the obviously shy girl. "Th-thanks, um… can I change back now?" Ariku stuttered, eager to put on her clothes.

"No Ariku-chan! You just got out here! And you look so cute! Kaito-nii will totally love you to death if you wear that little blue and black dress!" Rin said excitedly.

"Take you glasses off, I wanna do your makeup!" Zatsune stated to which Gumi and Teto laughed. "What's so funny?" She questioned.

"You. Doing Ariku's makeup? You'd make her look like the corpse bride!" Gumi cried and Teto laughed even harder. Zatsune pouted.

"I DON'T LOOK LIKE THE CORPSE BRIDE! I just like dark shades of colors…" Rin gave her a sympathetic look.

"You go ahead and do Ariku's makeup; I'll look for another outfit to try out in case Ariku feels too 'exposed'." Rin said with air quotes as she giggled. "But what if her makeup doesn't match the new outfit?"

"Yeah Rin-chan, we don't need Kaito laughing at Ariku for something that isn't her fault."

Rin paused and thought for a moment. "I'll be right back, don't change yet Ariku!" The girl called as she darted out of the room. "O-okay then!" Ari called out, trying to feel less awkward in her new outfit as she plopped down on the bed.

_I feel really tired… I hope I don't fall asleep in front of my friends._

"Ari-chan, what's been up with you lately? You've looked really tired all week, though at school you hide it well. Mostly." Miku stated, nudging the UTAU slightly.

"Yeah what's wrong nii-chan?" Gumi asked as the girls gathered around her.

"Oh I dunno… maybe I just need some more…sleep." She said tiredly, leaning against Miku's shoulder.

"What, staying up on the phone with Kaito-sama draining your energy?" Teto asked with a giggle, causing her to smile. "Haha, something like that, I'm sure… after the weekend I'll be…. fine." She said assuringly, though she spoke slower and slower.

"Are you sure…? Maybe you're getting sick or something? I mean, Vocaloids are built to keep going and going unless there's a malfunction or something going on with…. Ariku? Arikusandoria? Wake up Ari!" Zatsune trailed off as she noticed the UTAU just knock out on Rin's bed.

"Eek! What do we do?! Kaito-sama is going to be by to pick her up any minute!" Gumi stated frantically as she got up to make sure Ariku didn't fall off the bed.

"Miku go get Rin! I'll call Len and-"

"Whatever you do, don't call Len! I'll be right back." Miku warned Teto as she ran out of the room to go alert Rin of the situation.

"Poor Ariku, she must've been getting sick for awhile in order for this to happen, why didn't she say anything?" Zatsune questioned, sitting next to Teto. The UTAU shrugged.

"I thought Vocaloids never get that tired. Or sick. Or whatever is wrong with her. Vocaloids don't randomly black out like that, do they Zatsu-chan?" Zatsune shook her head.

"As far as I know they don't, at least, none of the ones I know do…. Interesting. Master usually never makes flaws. If something happens to the modules, it is of the unit's own fault and error." She explained. "Come to think of it, have you ever seen CV number on her arm before?" Teto shook her head as Rin ran in.

"OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED? Ari-chan, Ari-chan, wake up! Can you hear me?" She cried frantically as she shook the unconscious girl back and forth.

**No response.**

"Aiyee! Kaito is supposed to be here like now! Someone call him and tell him she can't go! We don't need him seeing her like this." She stated, thinking on her feet.

"I'll do it!"

Neru volunteered, of course, eager to use her phone as she walked out.

"Zatsune and Miku, will you go downstairs and get a towel and an ice pack please? I'm not sure what's wrong but maybe it'll help." She suggested and the two girls nodded and left.

"Of course."

"Anything to help."

"Rin... Maybe it's a malfunction? All units run a slight risk of malfunctioning in certain conditions right? Maybe something this month triggered her tiredness." Gumi suggested.

"But Gumi-chan, we don't just black out like that either, not even Teto, and she's UTAU."

"Well maybe Ariku is an UTAU, just made differently, y'know?" Teto added, causing the girls to stare at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, Ariku is totally a Vocaloid."

Teto shook her head. "Think about it. We've never seen her number, she obviously had a glitch, and she can't hit extremely high ranges. She is probably an UTAU guys." She explained her point.

"You know… that actually makes sense Teto-chan." Gumi stated and Rin nodded.

"Well whatever it is, we still need to take care of her, but that means she could've been made by anybody." She said with a sigh.

"Go get a pair of my pajama pants from the laundry room for me Gumi, there's no way I'm letting Ari leave the house like this." "Right away." She answered as she got up and started to leave before Zatsune and Miku showed up.

"Uh Rin….we have another problem."

"Yeah, make that TWO problems." They said.

"What is it?"

"Len and Mitsumori are here and they said they needed to see Ariku-chan." Zatsune answered frantically and Miku nodded. Rin's eyes widened.

"Gosh dangit! I forgot Len was coming home late tonight! Uh um… I'll go deal with them, just watch over her okay?" "Got it." They said in unison as the girls traded spots.

* * *

"Who was that black haired girl with Miku just a minute ago? I don't think I've seen her before." Mitsumori asked Len as they sat on the couch downstairs and waited for Ariku and Rin to show up.

"Oh, that's Zatsune Miku, we all call her Zatsune, but think of her as Miku's sister. That's the only time you will really see her, she doesn't come around often." Len answered.

"Anyways, I'm pretty sure by the way they acted when they saw us that something is up. I'm not sure what exactly, but Miku fidgeted a lot, and she never does that." Mitsumori raised an eyebrow.

"You're really in tune with the female body and its language huh?" He said bluntly, causing Len to chuckle.

"Haha, I guess, I'm just used to seeing all of Rin's friends; they come here at least twice a week after school for something." Len replied, propping his feet up on the coffee table.

After a few moments of chatter amongst the boys, Rin walked into the living room. "Hey guys! What did you need?" She asked as she walked over to meet them.

"Whaddya mean what do we need? We told you, we need to see Ariku- I know by now you've forced her to change her style and Mitsumori needs to take her home." Len replied with a raised eyebrow. Rin pouted.

"Well, if you mean I've changed her for the better, then yes. But what do **you** mean Mitsumori was going to take her home? She has a date with Kaito-nii tonight." She continued. Mitsumori leaned in and Len put his feet down.

"Kaito told us he was going out of town this weekend and that they rescheduled for two weeks from now."

"Two **WEEKS**?!" Rin cried. "Are they like, going through something or what? Because every single word out of Ariku's mouth concerning him is always so sweet and happy. She literally just brightens up whenever he smiles at her!" The increasing upset tone in Rin's voice was very apparent. Mitsumori's eyes widened.

"You don't think he's-"

"NO! Kaito-nii wouldn't… couldn't. Ari-chan is just so sweet!" Len sighed.

"I dunno Rin; he's been different and less of a dunce since they got together. I think Ariku-chan's brain is started to rub off on him and he's just using it the wrong way now." He explained.

"Now that you mention it….Kaito-nii has been acting smarter. More pervy too…"

"And Ariku is too naïve and innocent to realize…" The twins looked at each other and then to Mitsumori. "Mitsu-san… we've gotta make her break up with him." They said in unison, shocking him.

"A-are you sure? She really likes Kaito doesn't she?" He stuttered

What the hell am I talking about? I should be all for this plan! But… I don't want her to be upset… but if she was upset about it, I could always go comfort her! Gah!

As Mitsumori fought with his thoughts, the twins were already discussing how they could legitimately break up the couple.

"So are you in or what Mitsumori?"

"Yeah, I mean, you're bound to see her whenever we can't." the twins just waited for a response as the male seemed to be processing all the information.

"Well… I don't want Ariku-chan to be upset if we're wrong. But if we aren't and we don't do anything, she'll be more upset. …I'm in." He answered and they smiled.

"Great! So I'll let you know the plan tomorrow, meet me at Café Calloway afterschool okay? Oh and make sure Ariku and Kaito don't get suspicious." Rin stated.

"Wait! I still have to take her home tonight Rin-chan." Mitsumori stopped the blond who was already heading back upstairs.

"Oh…um well about that…."

"Rin…is something wrong?" Len asked flat out, catching her off guard. She sighed and just motioned to follow her.

"Is she hurt or something?" Mitsumori asked, beginning to get worried as they walked upstairs.

"Not exactly… um… I think she's just really tired from the semester Mitsumori-san. She is like the top one in our class…." Rin trailed off as she knocked on her room door. The boys gave her a questioning look.

"I told you we were dressing and undressing up here! Gotta make sure you don't see anything you shouldn't." She explained as the door creaked open. "

Yes?"

Teto peeped her head out to look at the company Rin brought with her. "Teto its fine, is everyone decent?" Rin said quickly to which the ginger nodded vigorously. "Alright then." Rin walked in the room and the boys followed.

"Hi Len! Hi Mitsumori!" The girls chorused.

All except for Ariku, of course.

"Hey girls, where's Ariku-chan?" Len questioned as he looked around the initially before the unconscious figure on the bed.

"Ari!" Mitsumori cried as he and Len ran to the bed side.

"How long has she been out like this Rin-chan?" Mitsu asked as he felt around for a pulse on Arikusandoria's wrist.

"Like…2 hours…" She mumbled.

"Two HOURS?! Rin something could be seriously damaged within her system by now! Wait… we've been downstairs for that long?" Len stated, holding off on scolding his sister.

"Yes…I wanted to stall because I knew you two would be upset." She explained as Mitsumori stood up.

"Well, her internal system is running still, you can feel her 'pulse' normally. Perhaps she just overheated, her forehead is extremely warm." Mitsumori concluded as he folded his arms across his chest.

"But next time, please let me know as soon as possible." Miku giggled.

"What, you her keeper or something?" She stated as she noticed all eyes were on her. Mitsu cracked a sincere smile. "Not quite, but my master doesn't live here, so when we were created, she wanted me to-"

"I'm sorry; did you just say your master doesn't live here?"

"And that your master is a she?"

Neru and Miku cut off Mitsumori's explanation, baffled by his statements.

"Huh? Oh… I guess she didn't tell you her story yet." He said softly, noticing the confusion in their voices.

Len raised his eyebrow. "Mitsumori-san… what exactly are you talking about?"

Gosh Arikusandoria, this whole time you've been hiding your true identity haven't you, shy little girl? I guess you haven't changed so much after all.

Mitsumori took a deep breath. "Alright, looks like I'll explain everything to you so that way we are all on the same page. That, and this may be the only time you hear the actually truth about Ariku-chan and myself. So here goes." He began and they nodded.

* * *

It was late at night when Mitsumori finished answering all their questions and fully explaining how he and Ariku came into existence. "…and if that's all… I guess I'm done." He said, sounding very tired as he stretched. Len had sat next to Ariku, who was still unconscious. He looked at her as he spoke.

"Dude…that's intense. So this Alex person was just determined to make you two huh? She did a pretty good job." He said.

"Yeah, but as you can see, we aren't perfect. We are UTAUs, not Vocaloid. And Ariku is the one who gets all the little mishaps that my master missed, though we were made at almost the exact same time." He replied softly.

"Wow…was Ariku-chan that worried, that we would all just stop liking her if we found out? I mean, for God's sake, Teto is an UTAU as well." Rin stated, pointing at the now sleeping girl who was sleeping against the wall.

"Nevertheless, that still doesn't fix the problem at hand- has she even moved in the past… oh wow… 3 hours?" Zatsune questioned, surprised that they all were still up when clearly they shouldn't have been.

"…No, which is starting to bother me. Maybe one of her system switches just got stuck. I remember Master Alex telling me something about it once and showing me how to fix it if need be." Mitsumori began.

"I've got a laptop if you need it." Len yawned.

"Why don't we go downstairs? The girls can crash for the night up here. I'll get us some snacks too." Rin suggested and the other agreed.

"Okay, I'll go help Rin get stuff downstairs situated." Zatsune stated.

"I'll get my laptop, why don't you carry Ariku-chan downstairs Mitsumori-san?" Len suggested as the girls left. Mitsumori just stared at his best friends knocked out figure.

How the hell did I miss her outfit before? …Rin did a good job…

Mitsumori was unable to shake his thoughts and just stood there, staring. "

Yoohoo? Mitsu-san you okay?" Len tapped him on the shoulder, noticing the lack of response.

Her dress is short… what if I accidentally touch her where I'm not supposed to?

Mitsumori obviously was nervous about the whole 'carrying' thing- Ariku always made him nervous and he wasn't accustomed to having to carry her.

"Um… you look…tired. Yeah that's it. I'll carry her, you take my laptop alright?" Len said slowly, noticing how lost in thought the boy was. Len couldn't help but smile, trying not to laugh as he simply picked Ariku up bridal style. Mitsumori finally snapped out of his thoughts and jumped back.

"Tired much?" Len asked with a laugh to which he nodded.

"I didn't realize it was so late… you guys just let me keep talking." Mitsumori replied with a chuckle.

"Ha, well it was interesting, anyways; my laptop is on my bed." Len replied before walking out the door with his friend.

….why was I programmed to be thoughtful?** Why..?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ch. 9: What the Hell Did We Do Last Night?**

Ariku awoke to a quite surprising scene- Rin was passed out, half falling off the couch while Zatsune took up most of the other couch.

"Oh dear…. I wonder what happened last night." She said curiously as she surveyed the area. What caught her attention was the fact that she found Mitsumori sleeping heavily over a laptop and a long cord connecting her to the device.

_Did I malfunction? And when did Mitsumori get here?_

"Ari….chan…**ZzzzZZ**… so**….lovely**…zzzZ…ZZzz…you…" A voice mumbled, clearly asleep too.

The girl instantly looked down at her body. "Oh gosh… I fell asleep in her dress…. Wait a second… whose legs are under mine?!" She whispered loudly. Ariku looked over her shoulder and had to contain a shocked squeak as she turned dark red. "L-Len-san?! I fell asleep on Len-san?! Why don't I remember anything?!" She whispered to herself before attempting to get off of him without waking him up. Ariku grabbed a nearby pillow to leave in her place. "Jeez…they own a lot of couches…" She noted as she successfully escaped the sleeping boy's grasp.

_He called me lovely… teehee. But…I'm still with Kaito. I wonder if he's here. I wonder…maybe I malfunctioned on our date last night! Oh gosh that is embarrassing…._

As Ariku thought about all these things she forgot she was still connected to the laptop and tripped over the cord, yanking the computer to the floor with her. They both hit the floor with a loud crash.

**Dang it. **

Of course, the only one who woke up slightly was Len, as he was the one who was talking in his sleep beforehand. "Ari…?" He mumbled his voice full of sleep as he turned his body to look around the room. As the girl struggled to get up, she noticed the blond sat up rubbing his eye. "Where are you?"

"D-down here Len-san." She whispered, still trying to get up and untangled from the wires. Upon hearing her voice and finally spotting her, the boy's eyes widened.

"A-Ari-chan?!" He whispered loudly, jumping off the couch to try and help her up since obviously something was wrong.

"L-Len-san…. I-I can't feel my arms…." She said softly as he helped her to her feet. "I-I'm scared…" Ariku's expression turned to one of fear as she said this. Len worried about her even more so now.

"H-here, sit down. Um, do you still need this plugged into your spine? I-I'll just leave it there for now." He said frantically before going to pick up his computer.

As he picked up the laptop that was still connected to Ariku, Mitsumori stirred.

Oh good, he's awake now. Maybe he knows what's wrong with her.

"Hey Len, good mor-"

"Mitsumori-san, something else is wrong with Ariku-chan." Len cut him off quickly as he grabbed the half-asleep boy and dragged him over to the couch with Ariku. "M-Mitsumori-sama…. I can't feel my limbs…" The girl said softly, just looking at her hands. Upon hearing this, Mitsumori's eyes widened. "Uh…um, maybe it's just a side effect from resetting your system last night. You uh...You were knocked out for awhile and worried us so I thought about giving you a self reset since it had been awhile from the last one." He tried to reassure himself more than reassuring Arikusandoria.

"Oh… yeah, maybe that's it. Right? …." The worry in her voice was very evident and Mitsumori frowned. "Ariku… please don't worry. Master taught me how to work your programming, remember? I-I'm sure I can fix this."

"Maybe it's just another system switch, Mitsu-sama. I mean, that's what was wrong last night right?" Len suggested and the UTAU agreed. "Yeah, see Ari, Mitsumori can fix this. Don't worry too much, besides, Rin and I can stay home from school to take care of you if we have to." Len said with a smile, hoping to cheer both of them up. "Y-yeah Ariku-chan, you'll be good in no time!" The quiet girl looked up at them and smiled. "Y-you think so? Oh good…. You guys are so nice to me." She said, finally seeming to cheer up. "O-oh, um.. What actually happened last night? I don't remember anything."

Mitsumori tensed up but Len seemed perfectly fine. "I'll explain everything while Mitsumori fixes you back up." He said, nudging the boy next to him. "Oh. Yeah Ari, let's go over here, I'll get started on a system check and see what the problem is." He said, holding his hand out to her. "Okay then." She replied, getting up and following Mitsumori back to the kitchen where he had her sit on a stool as he began to mess with the computer on the opposite side of the table. "So Ariku-chan, what **IS** the last thing you remember?" Len said calmly, sitting next to her with a cup of soda. "Um…I remember changing into this dress and getting ready to go on my date with Kaito last night…. And after that I just remember waking up on top of you….I-I mean the couch. I remember waking up on the couch…" She ended the last part in mumbles so Mitsumori couldn't hear her. Len just grinned. "Haha… yeah um… that sounds about right…"

_Wait… why is he blushing too about this? D-did we actually…? No….h-he wouldn't… Oh my gosh why do I stutter in my thoughts too?_

Ariku noticed the change in Len's calm manner and decided to test her theory. "Len-san… did we-?"

"N-No Ariku! We uh… well maybe… but…..no, no!We couldn't' have…" Len seemed to be very flustered as he looked down, his face a bright red.

"So…you don't remember how I got on the couch last night?" She whispered slowly, placing her hand on his wrist. "…I remember falling asleep on the couch…but I don't remember you being on the couch when I fell asleep… it was about 4 in the morning when we all fell asleep last night Ariku…" He answered softly, looking up at her again.

_Hmm…. I feel bad for keeping Kaito as a boyfriend when it's obvious I like Len-san a whole lot more… I mean, the plan was to make him jealous so he would like me, no? …Maybe this is it…_

"Um, I have another question." Len's eyes filled with curiosity.

"Oh yeah? What?"

She seemed to hesitate before speaking again. "Uh…well… I-I feel like I need to tell you something… a-and you might think I'm a horrible person but, I-I need to tell you." She stuttered softly.

Len titled his head to the side. "I don't think I would ever find you a horrible person Ariku-chan… you're too sweet and adorable…" He said softly. "But… I don't think you should confess anything with Mitsumori on the other side of the table…it sounds like you don't want anyone else to hear whatever it is." He whispered and the girl seemed to reluctantly agree.

"Y-yeah that's true… um…" Ariku paused for a moment. "…would you mind meeting me at the café down the street from the school later?" she whispered, looking in his eyes.

_Why is she so adamant to confess something to me? ….I don't really care, but I don't think this was part of Rin's plan…. Oh well, I've come to terms with liking Ariku-chan no matter what now._

Len smiled and nodded. "Of course, whenever you're finished with your system check. Or whenever you are ready." He said quietly as he jotted down his number on a piece of paper and handed it to Ariku who slid it into her boot upon realizing she didn't have pockets.

"Aha! I think I found it!" Ariku jumped at the sound of Mitsumori's voice. Back in the living area, a thud was heard, followed by Rin's whining.

"Owwww…..you guys are soo loud in the morning!" She cried, rubbing her head. The three back in the kitchen just stared back before laughing. "Did Zatsune just kick you off the couch?"

"Hahaha, you fell down Rin-chan!"

Rin glared at them as she stood up. "Very funny guys." She grumbled as she walked over to join them.

"Wow…Zatsune sure is a heavy sleeper huh?" Mitsumori said, pointing at the girl. "Huh? Oh yeah she can sleep for HOURS! Just…don't wake her up… she can be kinda scary." Rin explained with a nervous laugh.

"What's going on here? I thought we fixed up Ariku-chan last night…this morning… ah you know what I mean." She directed her attention to the cable connected to Ariku's neck that led back to the laptop.

"Oh, well you see Rin; I just fixed her up again."

"Again?" The blond girl was confused.

"Y-yeah...I woke up this morning and couldn't feel my arms, let alone move them." Ariku said and Len nodded. "Yeah, she might be here with us today sis."

"Actually Len-san, I think I may go home since Mitsumori seemed to have fixed my problem." Ariku stated, moving her arms to test them. "Oh good, I was hoping I input the right sequence to gain feeling in your limbs again, Ari-chan." Mitsumori said happily, disconnecting the wire from the computer. "Len-san, would you mind?" Ariku asked. "Not at all, here." Len said, unscrewing the wire that was plugged into a patch on her neck. "Got it." "Aww, my brudder, the sweetest person in the world!" Rin teased cutely, causing him to laugh. "Yeah…something like that."

_'Well that's not a response I'd expect from Len.'_ Mitsumori thought.

Mitsumori just smiled, though he was beginning to monitor Len's actions.

_Come to think of it, he's been acting kind of strange this morning…Him and Ari. Nah…must be imagining things._

"Well, I think we'll be going now guys, there are some things I have to take care of at home." Ariku said as she stood up off the stool.

"Aw Ari-chan don't go! I just woke up!" Rin pleaded.

"Come on now Rin, they must be tired. Besides, we've got a party to plan smarty." Len reminded her. "Yeah, well, see you guys at school on Monday." Mitsumori said, started to walk outside. Ariku followed slowly.

"Hmm, oh hey Ari-chan! I'll go get your clothes from upstairs!" Rin cried suddenly before running up to her room.

_That just leaves me and Ari-chan….did Rin leave on purpose? ….probably… which means they both were up to something this whole time. Oh well, I guess I'll take this plan into my own hands._

"Well uh…Len-san.. I um… thank you, for helping me out last night. You uh… you were really nice for um car-"

A pair of lips crashed onto her's suddenly, cutting her off. Ariku's face went bright red before Len pulled away. He didn't look at her; instead he looked down and away, scratching his head. "…I um-"

**I have to tell her…**

"…Ari-chan…Kaito is cheating on you."

_And? Come on say it._

"And well… I like you. A lot." He mumbled. The girl just stood there, shocked and confused at what she just heard. "L-l-Len? …I-I like you too…b-but I-I don't think Kaito-sama I-is cheating on me."

_I can't believe he just said that…I can't believe he just __**DID**__ that…. Yet…why am I not as happy as I thought I would be? Kaito-sama. Cheating on me? That can't be right._

"I…didn't want to tell my secret that way Ariku….I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. …I'll tell you more about the whole Kaito thing at the café today… if you still want to meet me." He said softly, finally looking at her. "Of course I still do Len. Um…yeah, that sounds good." Ariku picked up on the boy's uneasiness. "Really? O-okay then, I um… just call me later okay?" Len replied softly, giving her a soft smile.

_God he's so cute…. I didn't think this was going to go my way. Len-san…likes me too._

"Well, see you then okay?" Ariku said happily, waving to the boy as she walked outside just as Rin came downstairs.

"Oh here Ariku-chan." Rin said, running to return her things. "Thanks." And with that, Ariku left.

Rin looked over to her brother who just stood there in silence, staring at the door. "So uh…where are you meeting her, Len?" She asked. "Oh um… the café." He responded after awhile. "Take care of Zatsune, okay? I'm gonna go back to sleep." He finished, walking up the stair well.

"Uh…okaayy. I will." She said, slightly confused.

_I wonder what the Heck happened while I was gone._


	10. Chapter 10

**Ch. 10 A secret Rendezvous**

"Hey Ariku-chan, I'm gonna head by the store, try and rest up a bit while I'm gone. Oh, and um, did you need anything?" Mitsumori began as he grabbed his keys from the holder they rested on.

"Mitsumori-san, maybe you should stay home and rest, you like a ghost just haunted you. Perhaps you should take a nap?" Ariku suggested, noting the boy's red eyes and pale face.

"Huh? Oh, no I'm fine Ariku! Plus, your system may not be done adjusting, I wouldn't want you to get hurt or strain yourself." He reassured with a smile."I'll be back later; just don't do anything to stress yourself out please." Ariku smiled. "You have my word Mitsumori." She replied honestly. They waved and out the door he went.

Ariku turned around and looked at the living room. One couch, a small table, a decent TV, and an armchair.

"The Kagamine's make my apartment seems so much tinier now…" She said to herself with a sigh, plopping down in the chair. She looked over at the clock.

12:05 p.m.

"It's barely afternoon. And I don't see why Mitsumori worried so much; there's not much to do here." She said, again noting how small their apartment was.

"Rin and Len have it made…" As she kept comparing her living space to theirs, she found herself dozing off to sleep…

_**And she did not wake up for several hours…**_

A knock on the door woke Ariku up. "That must be Mitsumori." She thought as she slowly got up and walked to the door to unlock it. To her surprise, it was Len.

"L-Len-san? I didn't know you knew where I lived." She said in shock to see him at the doorstep.

"Haha, well, I hope you don't think it's too weird. Rin told me." He explained with a nervous laugh.

"Oh…well that explains it. Um.. does she-"

"Actually, I'm not quite sure what she knows, but she didn't seem too ticked off that I was meeting you, and I don't think she realizes just yet what happened at the house earlier." He answered before she could finish asking her question.

"Ah… yes well, would you like me to just explain it here? Or did you still want to go to the café? Mitsumori won't be back for awhile. He's been gone most of the afternoon and usually likes to go walk around by the park to think when he gets time to himself, most times resulting in him leaving me here all day, but that's okay." Ariku explained softly, yet with no stutters since she was still waking up. Len smiled.

"Okay then, I don't see why you can't explain it while we have time now." He began as she let him inside.

"So... you just stay here by yourself?" Ariku locked the front door and nodded.

"Uh-huh…. Well, technically no, but on days when Mitsumori is out running errands or working, yes. But its not all that bad, I get to relax at home when I'm not working at the café a-and I get to sing and dance without being embarrassed by what others might say if they saw me and I can sit and draw.. or read… or watch TV…" It appeared as thought Ariku was trying to assure Len she was fine by herself.

"Ari-chan, calm down, I'm not truly surprised you can handle yourself. Besides, this apartment is a nice size. You and Mitsumori seem like you live…comfortably." Len stated as he looked around the decent sized room.

"Sure I may have a big house Ariku, but sometimes it becomes overwhelming between me and my sister." She walked towards the hallway.

"Um...Would you like me to give you like a tour or uh something…?" She suggested.

_He is in my tiny apartment, with me. Just me. What am I supposed to do?_

"Oh, um, sure if it's alright with you." He responded, following her down the hallway.

"Well, the room on the left is Mitsu's and this one-"Ari paused as she opened her

door. "-Is mine. It's kinda small, but-"

"I like it, I think it fits you." Len said with a smile as he walked inside before her. "R-really? I know it's smaller than yours…" She responded softly, walking in after him, shutting the door behind her. Len was looking around her room.

_Purple walls with posters and pictures, a twin sized bed with moons and a dark purple sky, a small vanity, a closet and a desk. Ariku's room wasn't as small as she made it seem, maybe her stuff is smaller…Hey, what's this?_

Len had picked up a small photograph from her end table.

"A-ah! Don't touch that please, Len-san." She said quickly, taking the frame from him. "I'm sorry…it's just um… special to me." She concluded, hoping he wasn't upset with her as she placed it back down on the table.

"No, no its fine Ari-chan, I should've asked before grabbing. I was just curious as to who that girl is in the photo with you." He replied, sitting on her bed. She smiled.

"That's a good friend of mine. Her name is Alex."

"Oh? That's the girl who created you?"

Len took her by surprise. "H-how did you know that?! Did Mitsumori-sama tell you?", the shocked girl asked, clearly not expecting his question. Len chuckled.

"Yes Ariku, he told us, you don't have to worry about it anymore." He answered calmly, causing the girl to act very shyly and look away.

"O-oh…okay then… well yes, she made me and um… I haven't seen her since we moved here and I miss her a lot…" She said softly, causing Len to frown.

"I didn't mean to upset you Ari…I'm sorry." He stated, giving her a sympathetic look.

"It's okay Len-san…I mean, you didn't know, and it doesn't bother me too much; after all I have you and the others to keep me company." She said reassuringly as she gave him a hug. Len was surprised at her action but smiled as they pulled away. He grabbed one of her hands and she blushed slightly.

"Hey Ariku, I um… is it alright if I…_kiss you_?" He asked shyly, looking up at her. Her blush darkened and she stayed silent for a moment, making him uneasiness and wonder if he should retract his statement, but once thinking it over, Ariku looked at him and nodded.

"Y-yes Len, it's okay." She replied meekly. Len smiled and took her other hand before leaning in giving her a sweet little kiss on her lips. Ariku pulled away hesitantly, causing the boy to frown.

"Is there something wrong?" He questioned. Ari shook her head no, then yes, then no again before burying her face in her hands.

_I shouldn't be doing this… I need an explanation first…_

"L-Len-san…. You said earlier Kaito-sama is cheating on me. Why do you think so?" She mumbled, causing Len's eyes to widen at first then soften.

"Because Ariku-chan… he told me and Mitsumori he left the city for the weekend to go meet someone named Takadoshi. Apparently they are working on something together, but he seemed to be a little too happy to leave Friday…." He explained, placing a hand on her back.

_This plan is far out of Rin's reach now- it might be stretch to get her to believe me though..._

Ariku's voice was laced with an underlying sadness mixed with confusion.

"B-but…that doesn't mean he's cheating on me…does it? I-I don't know how to judge these things Len, wh-what do I do? Am I supposed to be mad with him? Should I be sad? What if you are wrong? What if we break up and he really wasn't cheating on m-"Len pulled out his phone.

_Hmm? Oh this is perfect! She'll have to believe my story after i show her this!_

"Ariku, I'm pretty sure he's cheating on you. Look." He said firmly, placing his phone in front of her face.

"Hi Len-kun!"

Ariku repeated the words on the screen before scrolling down to see Kaito all up on some Latina girl with white short hair and sunglasses in gray cut off shorts and an off the shoulder shirt. The stunned UTAU seemed to take a moment to process this and she just stared at the picture.

_Her silence is scaring me..._

"…Ariku-chan? …um, I-I'm sorry…but, I didn't want you to be hurt by him…. I couldn't bear to see you-"

It seemed Arikusandoria's first reaction was one of anger and without warning she grabbed Len's phone and threw it across her room, the device crashing into her closet door. Len's jaw dropped as he just watched his phone smash against the wall but luckily, it did not break into pieces. Upon realizing what she just did, Ariku gasped. "L-Len! I-I-I'm sorry! I…I-I just…." The girl's voice choked at the end and then came her tears.

"Ari…."

Len comforted the crying girl who latched onto him as she buried her face against chest, sobbing. "Wh-why Len-san…? W-w-wasn't I nice? ….I-I tried being a nice girlfriend….E-even if it started out to just m-make you like me…..I-I did like Kaito-nii, I did!" She muffled.

Caught up in comforting her, Len didn't at first understand what Ariku had just said until it sunk in.

"Wait…you did what?"

Ariku wiped away her tears and let go. "Th-that's what I was going t-to confess to you…. I-I started dating Kaito under Rin's supervision so that way you would like me…. I-I've liked ever since I met you, Len-san…"

_I knew Rin was up to something all along. She is teaching Ariku all of her tricks._

Len couldn't help but chuckle, confusing the upset girl more.

_Thats so adorable, she may overreact a bit but gosh, i'm proud of her little play._

"A-aren't you mad at me?" She stuttered with a sniffle.

"Haha, Arikusandoria, you are so adorable! You really got me huh?" The boy just continued to laugh, obviously making Ariku wonder what was the proper reaction to what she did.

"…So…you're not mad? I thought you were supposed to be mad when someone does that…So that means..." The innocent girl got lost in thought for a moment, using hand motions as if to help her figure out some sort of equation in the air. Len smiled.

"No silly, I'm not mad. I'm proud of you. Rin is teaching you more about this kind of stuff and she isn't actually screwing you up." He stated, hugging her tightly. Ariku still wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she returned the hug.

"…I'm so clueless to this kind of thing…"

"Well then… All the more reason for me to teach you. If you want of course." Len said with a wink, back to his normal character. Ariku stayed silent for a moment.

"…W-well… no one has to know right? I mean, things like this are supposed to last better and longer if everyone stays out of our business right?" Ariku said softly to which he nodded.

"I won't tell if you won't. Wait at least 3 weeks before telling Rin, but make sure on Monday you let Kaito know it's over, okay? If not, you'll run into a sticky situation and I may not be able to help get your reputation back Ari-chan." Len instructed and she nodded.

A 'knock' on the door was heard shortly after.

"Oh, that must be Mitsumori-sama…." There was slight disappointment in her voice as she said this before standing up.

"Oh, well then I guess I should be going. Oh and here, you should take better care of these or invest in some contacts, Ariku-chan" He said, handing her the pair of glasses she left at his house.

"Thank you so much for returning them Len-san!" She said gladly as she placed them on her face before opening her room door and walking down the hall with Len.

"No problem, see you later girl." He said with a playful smile before letting himself out of the apartment, leaving in his midst a surprised Mitsumori.

Ariku smiled at her friend and acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "Welcome back Mitsumori-sama!" She said cheerfully.

"Hey Ariku-chan. Um, why was Len over here?" He questioned, looking around the room as if something was different.

_I usually tell Mitsumori everything…. But i feel as though this is one thing I should keep secret. I'll just make an excuse I suppose, Mitsumori doesn't need to know. __**Right?**_

Ariku made up her mind and responded, "Oh, Len-san was just returning my glasses. I had left them at their house."

"Oh, okay then. you seem in a better mood, I'm glad." He replied with a smile as he put away his items.

_Oh….you don't even know the half of it Mitsu-sama._


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch.11 You Can Sing Ari! Good…Now go Break Up**

As it dawned on Monday morning, Ariku found herself awake a good hour before the alarm was to go off. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked toward the window.

"Why…am I up so early? …maybe its because of that strange dream I had…" She thought, beginning to recall the images that past through her mind in her slumber. Among the scenes that wandered through her head, one stood out.

_"Hey…Ariku-chan…. Will you meet me in the morning? There some things I'd like to discuss with you…"_

_An image of Len, sitting in a tree outside her window popped up, his sweet voice filling her head, though his face showed some hidden expression within._

_"Sure…Is everything okay, you seem down."_

_A smile crept up on his face. "Yeah…meet me outside when you wake up okay?"_

_And before she could him further, he vanished._

**~to reality~**

Ariku shook her head and sat up in bed. "What….why did I even have that-" Her thought was interrupted as she heard the soft vibration of her phone on her end table. The name "LEN" popped up on its screen. "Interesting….i should probably answer." The Utau thought as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ariku-chan? I know its pretty early, but I was afraid you may have forgotten our conversation from last night. I'll be by to get you in a few minutes okay?"

Upon hearing his words, Ari's eyes widened.

_….It wasn't a dream? It sure felt like a dream…._

"Ariku? You there?"

"Ah! Y-yes Len-san, I'll be ready soon!" She said, returning to the conversation.

"Oh good, I'm glad you remembered, for a moment, I thought you were asleep last night when I came by… sorry about that."

"Its fine, I could never forget a conversation with you."

His laughter could be heard on the other side before they both said their goodbyes. As soon as the call ended, Ariku fell back onto her pillows, staring at the ceiling. "…..What if he was watching me while I slept….? …Nah, he wouldn't do that. He is related to Rin though…technically."

About 15 minutes later, the low rumble of an engine alerted her. As Ariku finished changing she made sure to keep quiet as to not wake up Mitsumori in the next room. "I'll leave him a note." She thought as she grabbed her spare keys.

_Mitsumori-sama,_

_I decided to head out early this morning, I needed to take care of a project for Physics._

_See you at lunch. ^_^_

With her message written and posted to the door, she left.

* * *

"Hey look Ari-chan, it's the first rain of the fall season." Len pointed out as he drove them down the road.

"…I can't go out in the rain unless I have an umbrella…" She replied simply, not truly explaining the true reason as she looked out the window. His smile faded.

"..Is everything okay? …you seem kinda down." Len questioned, glancing at her briefly before returning his gaze to the road.

"Ah..yes Len-san, just a little tired is all. Anyways," Ariku began, hoping her voice perked up. "What did you want to talk to me about so early in the morning?" She concluded, taking off her glasses to clean them.

"Oh…I kinda just wanted an excuse to spend some time with you seeing as how we're doing this in secret for awhile… I hope you don't mind." He confessed with a nervous laugh as he pulled into a parking lot.

"Oh um…y-yeah that's fine." She replied softly.

_I want to be happy…. I really do… but….there are so many questions racing through my head. So much to process…._

_I really should try and stop dwelling on these things…I don't want to seem rude._

"Come on, I'll buy us breakfast before school starts." Len interrupted her thoughts as he unlocked the doors. "Don't worry, I have an umbrella too, even though it's not raining too hard now." By the time Ariku registered what he had said, Len had opened the door for her side and lent out a hand, the other holding an umbrella. "O-oh! Um thank you Len-san." Ariku replied after a moment, taking his hand before he led her inside the small diner.

* * *

"So was Mitsumori suspicious last night?" Len asked, curious to see if he had made her best friend upset.

"No, he didn't really catch on to anything… which is...good. Right?" Ariku replied slowly, looking at Len for approval, to which he nodded.

"For now, yes. In the next few weeks, you'll want to let him know. In case he um…" Len trailed off for a minute.

"In case Mitsu-sama what?"

Len smiled at her. "Never mind. I'm pretty sure you don't like keeping things from Mitsumori, right Ari-chan? He responded as the waiter came by with their food.

"Ah! These pancakes smell delicious!" Ariku exclaimed, forgetting to answer his question. The waiter smiled.

"Is this your new love interest, Len? She's cute." He said with a wink, causing both Ari and Len to blush.

"If you're asking whether she's my girlfriend or not, the answer is none of your concern, Leon." Len replied, clearly embarrassed.

"My my, we are touchy this morning aren't we? Fair enough, I'll leave you two love birds alone." The tall blond waiter said with a snicker before walking away.

"Who was that?" Ariku asked softly after regaining her composure, taking a sip from her juice.

"Oh, that's just Leon; basic Spice stereotypical guy. He's not that bad though." Len responded, taking a bite from his omelet. "Spice? What does that mean? Is he a flirt?" Ariku asked, quite seriously, placing down her fork. Len laughed.

"I'll explain it better at a later time. In fact, I'll make a song about it." He replied with a smile. "You know, I haven't heard you sing outside of choir. Come to think of it…." He trailed off in thought while Ari finished her two small pancakes. "Hey Ariku-chan, what songs do you like to sing?"

The question caught her off guard.

"Uh..um, i-I don't sing that much Len-san." She stuttered causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? Then why did you have a whole shelf filled with cds and song books at home?" He asked with a smirk.

"I-I just like to read! …and sometimes sing… by myself…" She mumbled a reply, obviously embarrassed she was caught.

"You're silly, why don't you sing sometime? We all would love to hear you!" Len said happily, trying to encourage the girl to overcome her fear. After a moment of silence Ariku took a deep breath and sighed.

_For once I wish to have the courage to not be shy anymore... I don't wanna be like this anymore_

"I-i…could sing right now if you'd like. …I'd like to see how others..react." She said slowly, wanting for her voice to be heard by others, but also a bit timid. Len was surprised at her sudden vote of confidence.

"You sure? Alright then, come on then." Len answered as he stood, waiting for Ariku to follow him to the stage where Leon was waiting.

"What's this? You two gonna sing together? That's cute." He responded jokingly. "By all means, the stage is yours." Len smiled at Ariku and then handed Leon the cd she had just given Len. "Its track number two." She informed as she walked onto the stage.

While she prepared herself for her performance, Len and Leon were talking on the side. "SO what song is your little lady friend going to sing?" Leon questioned, he clicked 'play' on the stereo system.

"Beats me, she told me it was a secret and refused to budge any further."

"I guess we'll find out then."

The café was not swarming with people, but it was just enough to make Ariku nervous. "Focus Ari, focus." She repeated in her head.

Within a few more seconds, the music to "Deep Sea Girl" started and she began singing.

_"Kanashimi no umi shizunda watashi me o akeru no mo okkuu_  
_kono mama doko made mo ochite yuki _  
_dare ni mo mitsukerarenai no ka na…"_

"Oh wow, choosing to sing one of Hatsune's songs, and being able to sound that well too. Who is she Len?" Leon said immediately, impressed with Ariku's voice.

"Her name? Arikusandoria. Her CV: 628. And she is not Vocaloid, but she sounds almost exactly like us." Len responded late, shocked by the voice that was hidden within his shy secret girlfriend. Leon was surprised by this information.

"An UTAU that sounds like a Vocaloid and not robotic like Kasane-san. Interesting. I wonder who her creator is."

_"….shinkai shoujo ude o hikareru_  
_utau shukufuku no marin-sunoo _  
_shinkai shoujo motto shiritai _  
_kokoro hikareru ano hito o mitsuketa kara_

_kono umi o dete ima tobitatsu no!"_

Arikusandoria smiled greatly and curtsied as her small audience clapped for her. "Arigato gomaisu! Thank you very much!" She said very happily before waving good bye and walking off stage.

"That was really good Ariku-chan! Your voice competes with Miku's even though yours is distinct- she'd be very jealous; you may be even better than her at singing this song." Leon complemented to which she immediately shook her head.

"Th-thank you Leon-sama, but I could never compete with Miku-chan. She's wonderful."

"And stuck up sometimes…" He mumbled under his breath."

"Ariku he's right. Hatsune would be very jealous if she heard you. Why? Because you sang amazingly and it had such emotion that none of us have heard before whenever Miku sings it." Len agreed with Leon, making Ariku all the more shy.

"You really think so?"

"Yes! You should sing that song at the party Friday night." He replied eagerly.

"O-oh no I couldn't! …I wouldn't. I wouldn't want to upset Hatsune, Len-san. Besides, there's no way I sing that well, didn't you hear all the little pauses I had?" Ariku insisted, looking at Len.

"So you're a little shy singing in front of people, big deal. Everyone gets stage fright and everyone can overcome it. I'll help you out!"

After going back and forth on the topic a bit more, Arikusandoria sighed and gave up. "

…Alright Len-san. I'll do it. But does it have to be that song? Miku-chan can be quite vicious when she's jealous. Remember that incident last month when everyone loved Rin singing 'World Is Mine'? The looks she would give poor Rin-chan and the stone cold atmosphere that she carried with her was so…scary." Leon snorted.

"Ariku-san, it is a known fact around here that Miku can be quite the stone cold bitch." He said bluntly.

Ariku stared at him in disbelief.

"What? Its true, isn't it Len?" Leon nudged Len for back up.

"Yea Ari, she can be such a tyrannical-."

"Y-you just cussed!" Ariku blurted suddenly, waving a finger pointed at Leon who backed up and put his hands up.

"Uh…and?" Len looked back forth between them.

"You don't need such language Leon-san!"

Apparently, Arikusandoria was quite offended.

"Um, Ariku-chan. People cuss at school all the time. Why is this such a shock to you? You're acting like you haven't heard a swear word before. " Len put her arm down, confused at his friend's actions.

"I'm gonna go now. Uh...see you later Kagamine-san." Leon said slowly, feeling the awkwardness before he walked off.

"Ari? Arikusandoria? You okay?" Len stood there, trying to snap the girl out of her daze.

Ariku shook her head. "Yes Len?"

"Um, what the heck was that all about just now? You were acting strange. You've seemed a bit off all this morning actually."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I don't like cuss words all that much…. There is always a better word to get the same feel." She answered softly with a nervous laugh.

Len laughed. "You have lived a very sheltered life haven't you? Well then, you have a lot to learn by Friday night. Don't worry, Rin and I will make sure you fit the 'pop star' role very well." Len hinted at some secret plan with a wink.

"Come on, we'll be late if we don't hurry."


	12. Chapter 12

**Ch. 12 WARNING: Heart Malfunction**

"Hey look! Its that Ariku girl with…OMG she's with Len-kun! EEK! I wish Len would give ME rides to school!"

"Oh she just gets everything she wants because she plays innocent well, I mean for all we know she could be some who-"

Rin smacked one of her brother's fan girls across the face. "Finish that sentence. I dare you." She hissed, glaring intensely at the girl who 'hmph'ed and walked away with her friend.

"Hey Ri-"

"Don't 'hey Rin-chan' me woman! I can't believe you skipped first period to hang out with my brother!" She mock scolded the UTAU before laughing. Ariku laughed nervously, trying not to fidget so much as Len walked up to join them.

"Shouldn't you be in class young lady?" He waved his finger in front of Rin who swatted it away.

"Oh PUH-LEASE! You made her an hour late! What on earth could you and Miss Sanaka been doing, Kagamine-san?" Rin and Len continued their playful banter for a bit as people soon moved on, leaving the three of them in the school lobby by themselves.

Ariku hadn't attempted to say anything else as she stood there with the twins, adjusting her glasses and fixing her outfit.

_Oh man….oh jeez… i-I feel like my heart is going to explode! It's going nuts pounding inside my body….._

Ariku placed her hands on her chest, trying to calm down about what she would have to do soon.

_I-i don't think I can do it…. Something is gonna happen and I'm gonna say the wrong things and-_

Len distracted her from her panic attack.

"Worried about Kaito-sama, Ari-chan?" He asked, grabbing one of her hands and bringing it down to her side.

"I-i-I c-can't do it L-len-kun! I-I just can't!" She cried before he shushed her politely.

"Relax, it'll be fine. I mean, he is the one who messed up right?"

_But…I just used him…._

Ariku shook her head. "Um…Y-yeah, you have the proof soo…" She trailed off it finally dawned on her that Rin had left. "When did she leave?" Len chuckled.

"Like ten minutes ago when we finished discussing what else we have to get for the party Friday night. I guess you were in the middle of your panic attack and didn't see her walk away." He explained as the bell rang.

"Oh shoot…. Well, just remember what I said Ariku-chan: Relax, it'll go well. I'll see you at lunch okay?" He said swiftly as he got lost in the flurry of students.

"W-wait! …Oh…." Ariku sighed and she attempted to regain herself, walking down the hallway to class.

* * *

"Ariku-chan! There you are!" A voice called out to Arikusandoria who shut her book and looked up. A sickening feeling filled her as she saw Kaito and Mitsumori walk over to her through the library.

_Uh-oh…I-I wasn't planning on seeing him show up with Mitsumori! I-I guess I'll just ask Mitsumori-sama to give us a moment…._

She gulped and placed the book she had begun to read back on the shelf.

"Oh, h-hi Kaito-sama. Hello Mitsumori-sama." She responded softly. The boys smiled at her.

"Hey, I haven't seen you all day!" Kaito responded, sounding more energetic than usual.

"It's only 3rd period now." She commented, no emotion in her voice, though her heart was going nuts. Mitsumori gave her a questioning look.

"Something up? You look as though someone just died." He stated bluntly, causing Kaito to pout.

"Hey! That's my girlfriend you're talking about!" He said, obviously offended.

"She's my best friend, I know when something is wrong."

"Doesn't mean you have to be so blunt!"

"Why are you so defensive today? You've been acting strange all morning!" Mitsumori raised his voice slightly, getting annoyed with Kaito's antics. As the two continued to argue, Ariku used this time to prepare what she was going to say in her head.

_Why am I so annoyed with both of them all of a sudden? Ugh this doesn't seem like its going to go well at all!_

She took off her glasses and cleaned before speaking. "Kaito. I need to talk to you. Alone please. Also, this is a library; please keep it down both of you." She said sounding slightly annoyed. The boys directed their attention to the girl with surprise. Instantly understanding she meant business, Mitsumori nodded and walked off.

_She seems really upset...She must've learned something…_

Kaito walked with Ariku over to the large glass windows that lined the library edge.

"So… what is it?" He questioned, taking a serious tone all of a sudden. Arikusandoria did not turn to look at the bluenette who addressed her but simply played with her glasses. She laughed at herself softly, confusing the boy slightly.

"Ariku?"

"Takadoshi." Was the only word she uttered.

Kaito seemed alarmed. "How do you know her?"

"Why were you all over her?"

The bluenette stared at her in disbelief. "I tripped and her brother took the picture and sent it to Len!"

"Kaito…I'm not stupid. You go out of town for the weekend, fine. I never questioned you. I only questioned it this time because you stood me up." She cut him off, her voice gaining an icy overtone.

Kaito looked away from her, growing frustrated. "Ariku let me explain."

"Explain what? Explain why you stood me up? Explain why you kept going out of town? Explain why you were probably cheating on me this whole time?!" Her voice rose with each sentence she spoke and she finally whipped around to face him, her eyes full of an intense anger. He stayed silent though he looked back at her.

"If you didn't want to date me anymore, why didn't you say anything? I would've understood! I'm used to rejection, I can handle a simple 'Just Be Friends' or 'I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore'! I may not be used to having people care about me or being an outgoing person, but at least I know how to set things straight even when I don't want to!" She cried. As Kaito let Ariku keep on with her rage, he noticed a girl with long blond hair had walked up and watched through the window. She was motioning to try and get his attention. "I don't deserve this Kaito." Kaito had tuned her out momentarily to pay attention to the girl until Ariku noticed he was motioning to someone outside too.

_Oh gosh not now Lily! Go away!_

Kaito was trying to motion to the blonde flirt to leave the scene.

She turned around and caught the girl off guard who was in the midst of blowing a kiss to Kaito.

"Kaito-sama…. I hate you."

Before he could even speak, Ariku ran away, tears in her eyes.

_I may have used him…. I was wrong…. But I did truly care about him…even if it was for a little bit….And I did feel bad whenever Len tried anything with me…_

_It didn't even phase him…_

* * *

Miku, Teto, Neru and Rin all saw Ariku running down the hallway and waved to her, trying to get her attention, but she ignored them as she bolted in the studio room.

"Oh no…"

"Guys what do you think happened?"

"I think she was crying…"

"I'd check on her but I don't want to make things worse…." Rin said with a sigh, feeling helpless to aid her friend as the girls all stopped in the commons. The others sighed too.

"Hey have you guys seen Ari-"

"She ran into the studio, Mitsumori. She was crying too…" Zatsune answered softly, noting his appearance. "New clothes?"

_Crying? That's not good…._

"Oh… um, I'll go check on her…" He said softly and Rin stopped him. "Mitsumori…I think its best if you let her be alone for a while first- I mean, you may not be able to help her since you're not sure of what happened."

"Actually Rin-chan, I have a strong feeling I DO know what happened." He responded, shocking the girls as he moved her hand aside. "

Oh really? What is it?" Gumi replied with sass.

Mitsumori sighed. "Len and I had been pretty sure Kaito was cheating on Ariku for a while now and I'm pretty sure she found out. Let's just say their breakup wasn't too nice." He explained, causing the girls to gasp.

"B-but Kaito-sama isn't smart enough to do that!"

"Which explains why she caught him in the act!"

"Grrr…that dumb bluenette is gonna pay for this!"

As the girls began to plot the older Vocaloid's demise, Mitsumori took this time to slip away into the studio room.

He shut the door softly behind him.

"Hmmm…I bet she's in the recording room by herself." He thought, not seeing his friend in the main room as he walked further inside.

Sure enough, he spotted her through the window, huddled in a corner by herself crying softly.

"Well…at least she isn't bawling like I've caught her other times… but I feel bad for her…" He thought as he pushed the intercom button.

"Ariku-chan, come on. We can go home if you'd like." He said into the mic. It was obvious he startled her as she jumped when she heard his voice on the intercom.

"M-Mitsumori-sama…. I-I didn't know you walked in…" She sniffled, rubbing her eyes. He gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, that's okay. You can talk about it with me if you'd like." He offered and after a moment of thinking, she nodded and motioned for him to come and sit with her in the recording room.

The two sat together as the hurt UTAU explained everything.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ch. 13: "I Don't Want to Talk About It…" "Yeah You do."**

Len kept watching the clock throughout the day, anxious to book it out of school.

"If I play my cards right, I can score some one-on-one time with Ari-chan...Maybe." This thought seemed to be the only thing keeping him going through his afternoon classes. Never mind schoolwork, Len had been mindlessly doodling random things on his papers.

As the final bell rang, the blonde eagerly stuffed his papers and books into his bag and ran out of the classroom.

"I didn't see her at lunch; I wonder where she ended up. …I hope nothing bad happened….I really hope Kaito-nii didn't piss her off or somethin' worse." He wondered how the UTAU's day went for a moment before disregarding it as he looked for her in the crowd.

"Len! Leeeennnn! There you are!" A voice called for him but he ignored it as he just stood in the lobby, trying to see Ariku.

As he had just spotted her walking with someone he couldn't tell, Rin got in his face.

"HEY! WE have to go get the stuff we talked about earlier before they sell out!" She waved an item list frantically before stomping her feet.

"Not now Rin, I'm looking for someone." He tried to look around her but she kept getting in his way.

"Len….You promised!" She nagged, being very persistent. He groaned and gave up.

"FINE RIN! You win." He said, throwing his arms in the air. Rather than her usual victory grin, Rin was caught off guard by her brother's sudden mood swing.

"Um…thanks? Are you uh, okay there bro? You seem kinda pissed." She responded gently, taking note of Len's body language. He had shoved his hands in his pockets and swung his bag over his back with a sudden hostility that worried her slightly.

"Yeah…whatever." He mumbled as they walked out of the building.

_I wonder what the heck is wrong with him today._

The twins had sat down to eat dinner together. It had been something they'd done as a sort of tradition since what they would classify as 'parents' didn't exist. Rin watched Len dissect his sushi and mess with his phone frequently.

"Gonna get an important call or something? Or are you just wondering about-"

"Neither Rin, I'm waiting for a response from that dumb bluenette we call Kaito." He said as he stabbed an onigiri with a chopstick before shoving it into his mouth. Rin sighed and pushed her plate forward before standing.

"Okay, fess up nii-san. Now." She said seriously, staring at her counterpart with stern eyes. "You've acted like a psychotic killer since I caught up with you after school. What the hell is going on?" She said quite bluntly.

"…I don't want to talk about it." He answered, standing up as well.

"Total B.S., you know I have my ways of finding out what's wrong with you if you won't fess up directly." Rin replied, raising an eyebrow. Len hesitated.

"Rin, I really don't feel like discussing it with you. Besides, shouldn't you be more worried about preparing your act for Friday night?" Len reminded the girl of what she had yet to do.

"Let's just say that's been taken care of."

"Oh yeah? Who's your partner? Because I certainly haven't practiced anything with you yet."

"Maybe I'm doing a solo this year, ever think of that?"

The two went back and forth on the subject before being interrupted by Rin's phone ringing.

"Oh! That's Ari-chan!" She exclaimed as she picked up the phone.

"…Don't think I'm done trying to figure out what's wrong with you yet." She reminded after a moment before going upstairs to talk to her friend.

Once sure she was out of ear range, Len let out a sigh of relief.

"Good God that girl never shuts up! That was a close call…. I almost lost it earlier." He said to himself as he sat back down at the table. Still no messages…

"Hmm….I bet Mitsumori knows what happened. I'll call him." Len decided as he picked up his phone and called the UTAU.

It rang three times before Len was greeted by a, "Hello?"

"Hey Mitsumori-sama, quick question. Do you know what happened with Ariku-chan today?"

There was a pause followed by the shutting of a door.

"Um yeah actually. I thought she had told you what happened." He answered, sounding a bit surprised.

"No, I didn't see her at lunch and that's when I would think she would have told me."

"Oh yeah, she stayed in the recording room to eat and asked if I'd stay with her. And she talked with me about it then some more."

"Ah I see… wait. Some more? So you had already started talking with her before that?"

"Um…yes. ...Let me just explain everything I know and then see if you have any more questions. How's that sound, Len-san?" Mitsumori stated, guessing Len was in the dark about what happened.

"Please enlighten me."

And so Mitsumori explained his side of the story to the semi-left out Vocaloid.

* * *

"Ah….So is she there with you talking with Rin?"

"Yeah I think she's- oh wait. No she's off the phone now I think. I heard her room door open. I gotta go Len-san, I hope I helped you out a little."

"Yeah…thanks for that. I'm sure the girls are already planning the demise of a certain bluenette. " Len stated replied.

"Later!"

"Bye."

_'Click!'_

_Well that was a lot of stuff I missed out on… I still find it odd that they're just friends living together….Nah, Mitsumori is a good person, it's cool._

Len had calmed down from earlier but was still upset that he didn't even get to check on Ariku himself in person.

"…And yeah, he was soooo bent out of shape earlier for some reason, but whatevs right? Boys are so weird sometimes. …uh-huh… oh sure I can ask, I mean, it's not like he's doing anything right now haha!"

Len could hear his sister walking down the stairs, still on the phone with Arikusandoria he presumed.

"Oh Leeeeennnn!" She chimed loudly, holding the phone away from her. The said boy looked up.

"What do you want sis?"

"Oh, well you don't HAVE to if you don't want to-"

"You haven't told me what it is yet." He said bluntly, interrupting the girl who now pouted.

"You take the fun out of everything. ANYWAYS… will you take me and Ariku to the coffee shop? We're meeting with Gumi-chan and the others for some…chill time." She concluded with a grin, walking over to her brother. Len raised an eyebrow.

"Chill time? …You guys are planning some sort of whack job revenge plan that involves poor Ari-chan aren't you?" He guessed.

"It's not a 'whack job' plan! We're gonna figure out what she should sing Friday night. If we pick the perfect song, she'll shine and then everyone will love her even more and-"

"Why don't you pick a song that has lyrics that just discretely is aimed towards Kaito?"

"Len why don't you just let us- …Hey, that's not a bad idea. ..But what song would that beI don think there is one out there that would describe the exact situation."

"Rin, there's plenty of revenge seeking songs. But they don't fit Arikusandoria's sweet and innocent side. The only way I can think of having her get back at him is if she just sings a song that fits her personality and not gear her performance towards hating on Kaito."

Rin thought about her brother's statements some more.

"Then why did you even bring up the idea in the first place?! Hmm… why don't you come join us? You seem to be full of ideas on the subject, I mean, you brightened right up when you figured out we were helping Ariku-chan for Friday."

Len smiled.

"Me? Join you girls? Nah, you couldn't possibly mean that. I don't think I've ever heard you invite to one of your…socials." Rin smiled.

"HAH! I finally got you to smile for once today! Looks like Ariku seems to be the subject you like the most, huh?" Rin said with a wink causing the boy to shake his head.

"Hahaha, you're funny sis. Think about it: its six-to-one; any guys dream!" He replied calmly with a smirk.

"Len you jerk! My friends aren't even remotely interested in you!" Rin interjected, causing the boy to laugh some more.

"Oh really? How can you be sure of that?"

"B-because I just know! Now come on! We gotta go pick up Ariku-chan!" Rin cried, changing the subject.

"Okay, okay I'll stop. But you know I'm right." Len concluded as he grabbed his keys.

**Meanwhile…With Mitsumori…**

"_Wait…So you're saying she doesn't even remember how we met?! How is that even possible Professor?_

_"I know it sounds crazy, but something in her system seems to be erasing some of her memories. I'll be in town next week to try and figure it out myself, Mitsumori-san."_

_"…So…how fast is she losing memory?"_

_"Not too fast, but she's lost enough that her main monitor back at the lab has alerted me."_

_There was silence from his end. "Mitsumori-san? Hello?"_

_"O-oh, yes I'm still here Professor. So...what should I do till you get here?"_

_"Mitsumori... Don't worry too much. Just do me a favor and don't let her go out alone okay?"_

_The boy sighed. "Yes Alex-san."_

_'Click'_


	14. Chapter 14

**Ch. 14: Group Discussion**

"What do you think you're doing Len-san? This is a GIRL'S ONLY invite." Gumi stated upon noticing the boy did not leave after dropping off the girls. There was already a group of Vocaloids waiting for Rin and Ariku as the trio arrived at the café.

"Oh, well see Gumi, I was actually invited." Len replied calmly, shocking the girl.

"Rin! Why would you invite him?"

"Because he had some good ideas for Ariku-chan's performance. Look, just trust me on this one girls, okay?"

There was much commotion but after a few moments of talking it over with each other, they agreed. "Alrighty then, we'll trust you Rin-nee." Miku stated with a nod. "Now let's go inside!"

Once all situated at a round table, Gumi placed some papers on the table. "Alright, I was jotting down some things and song ideas and stuff earlier today and I finally decided that my best thought was-" She paused as she grabbed one specific paper. "-to sing Killer Lady!" Gumi exclaimed excitedly. The group just stared at her and Miku shook her head slowly.

"Gumi, you would pick one of YOUR songs for her to sing. Obviously she should sing World Is Mine ah duh!" Miku replied with a grin.

"Oh? And what's so much better about World Is Mine than Killer Lady? Ariku wasn't even acting like the spoiled brat you are in that song!" Gumi stated as she stood up.

"Um, guys? I-I don't want to sing either of those songs…I-I was thinking-"

"Well it's perfect that's what! Ariku-chan should own up to the fact that now she's broken up with someone who was no good, she should feel on top of the world."

"H-hey!"

"Hah! The reason you want her to sing it is because you want everyone to know that she sang a Miku song! You can't stand to be out of the spotlight for one minute can't you?" the girls argued back and forth over whose song was better and completely ignored Ariku's attempts to get their attention.

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty. Pretty stupid that is, now shut up and listen to someone else's input." Rin stated, hurting the girls' pride.

"Harsh much."

"Jeez Rin-chan, you coulda been a little nicer." Rin ignored them and turned to Ariku.

"So, what was it that you thought Ari?"

"Well…instead of focusing on me trying to exact revenge on Kaito-sama… why don't I just sing a song that fits me? I-I mean it is a talent show right?" Ariku stated.

"Hey! That's exactly what I told Rin earlier!" Len exclaimed causing all eyes to look at him.

"Uh…Well it's true…." He said softly as he shrank back down in his seat. "I dunno Ariku-chan; I mean there aren't many songs that fit you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"No way! I wanna make Kaito-nii cry for what he did!"

"Yeah, you should totally do something like-"

Ariku sighed and shrugged her shoulders as she listened to the rest of them go on their own tangents again.

"Well… I think it's a great idea." Zatsune finally said, tired of their pointless drivel.

"Whoa…I forgot you were even here Zatsune." Teto said causing her to roll her eyes.

"Look, Ariku and Len had a great idea. Instead of making the night about Kaito and blowing his ego up anymore, why not focus on letting Ariku have a fun time? Did you all even account for the fact that she might not even want to sing? Maybe she wants to dance and have someone else sing for her or maybe she wants to sing a duet with Mitsumori-san or somethin'. MAYBE Arikusandoria just wants to attend the party and see what we all do; let her make her own calls guys, she's not a little doll you dress up and command at will." Zatsune explained, the others all getting quite drawn into what she was saying.

"Wow….that's some deep stuff right there…" Teto commented and Zatsune flipped her bangs.

"You know, I think I like Zatsune's idea." Rin stated, causing the girls to gasp.

"Oh come on! I'm not this cold hearted demon you all make me seem like! I do actually care for my friends, y'know." She replied.

"It's a very good idea, Zatsune. B-but I don't think I'd sing with Mitsumori-sama." Ariku stated with a laugh.

"Well why not? You two are best friends and sound great together. Plus, you all would get lots of practice time since you two have lived together for quite awhile." Len suggested and Rin nodded.

"I think you two should sing together Ari-chan! It'd be so cute!" She squealed happily, encouraging the shy girl to accept.

"I dunno, I mean sure he's my best friend and all but…do you really think I should sing with him? Wh-what if it's awkward?" She responded making them laugh.

"Awkward? Ari-chan, you two are like inseparable, if we didn't know better everyone would think you two were dating!" Gumi laughed. The comment made Len flinch slightly.

"Yeah! You two have such a natural chemistry; it was REALLY hard to accept that you're just friends. …Who live together. …Under the SAME roof." Teto hinted with a wink, Ariku going red.

"W-w-we aren't anything more than friends I swear!" She defended instantly, making the girls laugh some more.

"Come on guys, I'm sure if they were up to something, Rin would've already known." Even Neru jumped in on the conversation now.

"Oh wow, what did your phone die Neru-san?" Gumi asked and the girl sighed and nodded.

"Yeah…I forgot to charge it when I got home." As they teased Ariku a little bit more, Rin noticed Len's mood change again as her brother became very anti-social.

"Hey, something wrong?" She whispered, nudging his arm.

"Oh, um yeah, its fine, its fine." He mumbled after a moment. She snorted.

"Total B.S. again Len, but we can talk about it later. Deal?" She replied and the boy seemed to agree.

"S-so you really think I should sing with him?" Ariku seemed to finally give in to the girls' protests. They all nodded.

"It'll be fun for the both of you."

"What if he tells me he doesn't want to do it?"

"Then we'll make him! Haha, I'm kidding but I highly doubt he'd refuse."

Ariku took in their feedback and after a moment nodded. "Well…I-I'll talk to him about it tonight and see what we come up with. O-okay?" She said and they all cheered.

"Great!"

"We'll be expecting the details later."

"Does this mean our meeting is over?" Zatsune asked, clearly getting bored with the subject.

"Yes Zatsune, we can leave now." Rin answered as she stood up.

"Was Mitsumori taking you home or were you gonna come back with me and Len?" She asked the girl next to her.

"Oh, yeah, Mitsumori-sama was gonna come get me but not till later, I told him I wanted to go to the lake after this so he wouldn't show up too early." Len looked over at her.

"But Ariku-chan its getting dark, it's not safe for you out here all alone." He warned and she smiled.

"Welllll….if only there was a guy-"

"Who was here with us-"

"-Who would be willing-"

"To stay while the rest of us go home."

Rin, Miku, Gumi and Teto finished each other's sentences, each standing up as the other finished. Zatsune chuckled, noticing Len's confused face. "In other words, the rest of us are going to take our cars and leave you here to protect our friend. Miku can easily drop off Rin on her way home too Len." She stated as she grabbed her purse.

"H-hey! I didn't sign up to be the bodyguard! I wanna go home too!"

They all pouted and Rin placed her hands on Ariku's shoulder who questioned what they were doing.

"Pleeease onii-san? Just look at this pure innocence, this perfect little embodiment of an angel who was heartbroken this afternoon." She paused at this part and pulled Ari's head to her chest.

"R-Rin! Let go please!"

"Shush shush shushhhhh….See Len? She's just so vulnerable right now! You're the ONLY one who can stay behind to keep her safe for us!" Rin explained, acting very dramatic. Miku and the others had walked over to Len's side at this point.

"Why me though?"

Miku playfully swatted his head. "Are you dumb? Did you not just here are explanation?"

Neru laughed. "He's a BOY Miku, they don't usually listen."

"Not true Neru, I-I mean, they listen most of the time." Ariku defended, making stated girl laugh again.

"Ariku-chan, the only reason they listen is because-"

"It's because she's nice and not psychotic and weird like the rest of you!" Len interrupted suddenly, jumping out of his spot and backing away. The Vocaloid girls gasped.

"How…dare you!"

"Len, you don't have to be so mean!"

"Oh my gosh enough! Do you all ever shut up and let someone else who has normal conversations speak? Jeez, poor Ariku has been sitting here the past 10 minutes trying to talk to me while all of you have just butted in. Now the ONLY reason I'm staying here is because she asked me. Like a normal person would." Len answered with a 'huff'.

"…Well then….I guess we should be going now." Teto spoke up quietly, eating a piece of bread.

"Teto…where did you get the bread….?" Gumi asked slowly. "I always have bread. Don't you carry some with you too?"

"Uh...no. I carry my keys and my purse but I don't carry bread with me." She replied as she started to walk towards the door.

"Oh…I see." Ariku stood up, realizing Rin had let go of her.

"Well…thanks for wanting to stay with me,, even if you really don't have to.. I-I'm fi-" Rin nudged her arm, stopping her from finishing her sentence.

"Hey…you're welcome. Enjoy a recovery night with Len, silly." She whispered as she walked away with Miku.

"Ariku-chan I don't really mind." He responded as the last of the group walked out.

There was a bit of awkwardness between the two that both picked up on.

"Um…I-I guess we could go to the lake now."She said shyly, looking at her feet. Len smiled.

"Why are you acting so shy around me right now? That was some good acting earlier but you don't need to keep it up silly. It's just me and some random café staff." He said with a laugh.

"I-I know." Ariku began as she directed her attention back to him.

"But…It feels a little weird knowing that I just broke up with Kaito this morning and now I'm here. With you." She concluded, hoping he understood.

"Well, we don't have to do anything you don't like." He suggested, putting his hands in his pockets. "As long as you're comfortable is what really matters right now; I know how break ups can go, I don't want you to be viewed as something you're not because of me." He continued as he walked with her outside.

"Oh yeah? I don't see how anyone would leave you Len. You're very nice." Ariku said thoughtfully, making him laugh.

"No no no, not me!" He began quickly with a laugh.

"In truth I haven't actually dated anyone before; apparently I give really good advice for people who go out though." He admitted softly, flipping his bangs. Ariku's eyes widened and she dropped her glasses.

_Never dated anyone before? He knows so much though! There's no way that's true!_

Len tilted his head to the side before picking up his glasses and laughing softly. "Oh Ari-chan…you thought otherwise didn't you?" He questioned as he cleaned her glasses.

"Aww…It looks like you cracked them this time girl. Didn't I tell you to be more careful with them?" Len concluded, handing the girl back her cracked glasses. Shaking her head quickly, Ariku came back from her thoughts and gasped.

"Aw shoot…. "She muttered as she tried them on and then took them off again.

"I-I guess you're statement just surprised me a little, haha." She concluded with a smile, placing the damaged article in her purse.

"Hehe, yeah…" Len said nervously. As the pair continued on their way to the nearby park and lake more conversation came up, each new topic getting more serious than the last.

"Okay…I'm gonna stop beating around the bush here and just be flat out honest with you Ariku-chan." Len said bluntly as watched the moon's reflection on the lake surface from a spot on a pier.

"..I'm not sure I understand where you're going with this but continue." Ariku replied, just watching the calm water. Len moved in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"How on earth have you been able to live with Mitsumori-sama under the same roof and still be such good friends and nothing more?" He asked, looking her straight in the eyes. The shocked girl froze and stammered trying to answer him coherently.

"Come on Ariku-chan, use your words." He said slightly less serious. Slightly annoyed by his actions, Ariku swatted his hands off of her.

"D-don't patronize me! I'm sorry I-I stutter okay?!" She began as she turned away from him with a huff. Len sighed.

"I just…**I** don't understand for once. I didn't mean to upset you, but this has been bothering me for quite some time." He admitted softly, hoping she accepted his apology for acting hasty.

"…Len-san, why does it bother you so much? I thought you and Mitsu-sama got along well."

"We do. I just can't seem to fully understand how you've both been living together for almost 4 years now and you have stayed just friends."

"Four years? Oh no no no. No. That's impossible. Mitsu and I have been living together for two years silly, where did you hear four?" The UTAU asked with a laugh.

"Um Ariku…You're the one who said that. And you actually said that about a month ago." Len pointed out.

Her laughter stopped at once. "I-I did? That doesn't sound like something I'd lie about though…" She seemed to trail off into thought about it.

"Well… let's find out which number is right. When did you meet him?" Len asked calmly, trying to help her out.

"Um…Wh-when Professor Alex-chan created him of course!" She responded.

"And how long ago was that?"

"It was… six, no five. Five years ago, I think….Maybe it was 8…No…has to be around five" It appeared as though she was having trouble piecing together the past. Len raised an eyebrow.

"Um alright. So five or six years ago was when you met. And so I'm guessing something happened in between there and you both ended up over here. So let's say like a year passed and you two have been living together ever since." He stated and the girl shook her head.

"But that doesn't sound right either. I feel like there was something that happened before we came here…Something that made Alex suggest we move in together…What was it..?" She said softly, looking up in thought again. Len frowned.

"Ariku… how is it that you're so unsure of your past now when you were able to tell us just about everything last month? Is everything okay?" The flustered girl held her head.

"I-I just can't remember Len…I'm sorry…" She said sadly. Len held her close. "It's okay….I'll drop the subject." He stated.

_Why can't I remember all of a sudden?_


	15. Chapter 15

**Ch. 15: Suspicious Much? ~Mitsu's view~**

Mitsumori parked his car at started walking towards the docks at the lake.

"I hope she's feeling better after hanging out with her friends. …Although…she didn't seem to be too ruffled once we got home." He thought about her irregular behavior until spotting two figures on the pier.

"Huh? Who could that be with her?" He whispered as he listened to the conversation from behind a tree.

"…Is that all that's bothering you right now? I heard from the other's your day didn't go so well…"

"A-ah….well….I just have one question…because I never really got to ask him myself…"

"Kaito-sama you mean? Go for it, I know just about anything on him."

Who is she talking to? Is that…is that Len perhaps? Hmm… Mitsumori questioned to himself. I'll just see what happens before interrupting.

"Okay…well… how much older than me is he actually?"

There was a pause and uneasiness filled the air.

"Haha...I guess no one told you the full story huh…? Well…um Ariku-chan he's uh…he's like… 21… And also a counselor…But not the guidance counselor, oh no. No. our guidance counselor is…I think its Megurine Luka…Yeah sounds about right." The voice trailed off and a gasp was heard from the girl.

"Tw-twenty four? I-I dated someone who was twenty four!? L-Len-san why didn't you tell me from that start?! Oh no, what is wrong with you people?! Isn't it against the law or something for an adult to have an inappropriate relationship with a minor?!" Ariku cried highly upset.

"W-whoa there I said he was LIKE twenty-four, he's probably twenty or so….Wait a minute….you mean…You're not eighteen, Ariku-chan?"

"NO! I AM SEVENTEEN!" She shouted kind of going hysterical over the news just revealed to her. It was at this time in the conversation that Mitsumori felt he should step in soon.

I can't imagine what she might do if he keeps revealing all these secrets to her like this. Perhaps it's time to go.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! We all thought you were eighteen so no one made a big fuss. Not even the teachers!" The boy responded frantically.

"YOU ALL KNEW AND YET RIN STILL LET ME DATE HIM JUST TO GET YOU TO-"

"Um…Ariku-san? I came by to take you home. It was getting late so I thought you might want to leave now." Mitsumori interrupted as he walked over to the pair that just stared in shock at the boy. Neither Ari nor Len budged; at the moment she had him by his shoulders and he had his hands up in defense.

"O-oh…H-hey Mitsumori-san." He said uneasily as he pushed her off of him. Ariku looked over at him and put her hands behind her.

"Oh um…yes. I do believe I'll be going now. Thank you." She responded softly, avoiding his eyes.

"Alright then…" He answered, not even questioning why Len was there.

"Well, bye Len-san, see you tomorrow I guess." She said as Mitsumori walked away with her.

There was silence as the two made their way back to his car.

Very awkward silence.

Mitsumori didn't bother her with questions as he knew she needed to go home and rest. He knew he had to tell her about Professor Alex's visit but how?

_I don't want to overwhelm her tonight… I'll just tell her tomorrow._

**_~The next morning~_**

Mitsumori was up before Arikusandoria for a change that day and he decided to check on her.

"Um Ariku-san, we've gotta get ready for school soon." He said as he opened the door to her room. Upon entering, he saw her sound asleep on her bed with her phone resting in one of her hands. Curious, he walked over to her as she did not wake up like she normally did. "I wonder if she was arguing with him more last night… She seemed pretty upset." He thought as he sat on the edge of her bed, tempted to grab her phone.

_She looks so peaceful when she sleeps too… I know it's not right but I'm wondering why he was there in the first place…_

Mitsumori hesitated before sliding the phone out of her hand and going through her messages. The last messages received were of course from Len and it had to have been the point where she fell asleep talking to him because there were about five different messages, each with more urgency than the last.

_"Okay, okay, you don't have to say anymore as to how you and Mitsu live together just being friends."_

_"Thanks, just trust me, we aren't doing anything. I wouldn't do that to you Len."_

_"There is one thing I feel I need to tell you though Ari-chan… I hope you don't get too mad at me though."_

_"I've calmed down from earlier…. If you think it's really that important, just tell me now deal?"_

_"Deal. Um well you know how we proved Kaito was cheating on you?"_

_"Who is 'we'? And yes."_

_"Me and Mitsu. Anyways…. Um the truth is that I-"_

"Okay, before she fell asleep what were they talking about?" He questioned as he continued to scroll through the messages until freezing at one point in their conversation.

"M-Mitsumori…w-why are you going through my phone?" A soft voice came. Surprised, Mitsumori dropped her phone and just stared at the girl rubbing her eye with her hair falling in front of her face.

"A-Ariku-san! I-I just…" The boy was at a loss for words.

"…I was worried about you." He finally answered. Ariku yawned and nodded her head slowly after a moment of thinking, clearly still waking up.

"Okay then….I'm so sleepy…do we have to go today?" She said tiredly.

_She must be out of it…she wasn't even slightly mad at me or anything. Maybe it IS better if she stays home today._ Mitsumori thought, looking at the half-asleep girl.

"Well…I guess you can stay. I'll come get you later so we can head over to the Kagamine's to help set up for tonight." He replied, standing up now. Ariku was quickly alerted by this statement.

"O-oh before you go! U-um…w-would you sing with me tonight?" She stuttered rapidly, causing him to look down at her.

"M-me? Sure. What would we be singing?" He replied, surprised at her request. Ariku smiled.

"It's called 'Just Be Meltdown'; a mash up of one of Luka-sama's songs and Rin-chan's songs. I-it's fairly easy to learn" She replied.

"I-I know we won't have much time to rehearse but-"

"Would you like me to stay home and work on it with you?" Mitsumori asked suddenly. Ariku was already shaking her head.

"N-no, it's okay, I wouldn't want you to miss your test." She said thoughtfully.

"One day will be okay Ari-chan; I wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself in front of your friends tonight."

The girl smiled as she stretched, still lying in bed. "If you insist….I…okay…." Ariku had started drifting back to sleep mid-sentence, her head sliding off her pillow.

"H-hey! Be careful Ariku!" Mitsumori cautioned, catching her head as the rest of her body slid off her bed. "Oof!" she cried, falling on top of Mitsumori who was now underneath his friend and the sheet that she was wrapped in. Upon picking his head up, the boy turned a slight red.

Ariku's face was mere inches from his. He noticed her eyes were shut and she was breathing slow and evenly.

_Are you kidding me?! How can she still sleep through this? Didn't she cry out when she fell?_

Unsure of what he should do, Mitsumori just stayed there, staring at the sleeping girl on top of him.

_…She's so close….I could just…kiss her… a quick one. I'll just steal a quick little kiss from her and maybe she'll awaken like Luka-sama said. Right?_

Mitsumori leaned in slowly, hoping he didn't wake up Ariku. Her hand twitched in her sleep, startling him but she did not wake up to his relief. However, his phone went off and woke her up just as his lips were about to touch hers. Ariku's eyes fluttered awake as he scrambled to get away from her, banging his head on her dresser.

"M-Mitsu-san….? Wh-what is going on?"

The confused girl asked, watching her friend try frantically to get out of her bed sheet. Finally free, Mitsumori caught his breath, obviously suffocating beneath the sheet. As he looked back at Ariku to answer her he noticed her night gown and one of her straps was falling off her shoulder causing him to blush again and look away.

"I-I… you fell a-and I tried to catch you but you landed on top of me a-and then my phone rang and you-"

"Shhh…"

Unintentionally making the situation more awkward for Mitsumori, Ariku placed a finger on his lips.

"Don't talk…I'm not mad, you tried to help me." She said with a smile, now confusing the boy.

_What is wrong with this girl?! That doesn't sound like her at all! Could this be a glitch…A personality glitch?! Gah, this is too much…_

Mitsumori's phone rang again, causing him to look for where it ended up.

"A-Ariku-chan is something wrong?" he questioned after retrieving his phone.

"Nothing's wrong silly!" The girl replied cheerfully as she moved closer to Mitsumori. The flustered boy quickly answered his phone and scooted away, each time Ariku moved closer again.

"H-hello? Who is this?" He stuttered, now holding back Ariku with his arm as he sat crouched in a corner.

_"Mitsumori-san, its Alex. I was just letting you know that I'll be arriving earlier than expected- tomorrow actually. Is everything okay?"_

"Huh? Oh, y-yes Professor! We're just-"

"HI ALEX-CHAN!"

Ariku had snatched the phone away from Mitsu's grasp and proceeded to interrupt the important conversation by talking casually to their creator until Mitsumori pounced on top of her and grabbed the phone back.

"A-Ariku-chan…I-I'm sorry but please calm down, this is important!" He cried as he had to keep firm hold of the girl so he could talk decently on the phone again.

"…A-Alex-sama?"

_"..Yes Mitsumori?" Her voice had gone serious. "I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"Thank you." A sigh of relief escaped his lips and he hung up the phone. "Mitsumori-sama….can you get off of me now?" A clearly, not normal Ariku asked and he boy complied. He got up and stood, just watching her for a moment, thinking over something in his head.

_I really hate it when she glitches. But I think I hate it even more when her personality is affected like this. I __**REALLY**__ do….I wonder how much of her memory has been lost now…_

"Hey Ari-chan."

The girl looked up from her spot on the floor. "What?"

"…What's the name of the school we went to before this one?"

"We didn't go to one before the Vocaloid Institute silly! We've always gone here."

Mitsumori grabbed hold of her shoulders and kneeled in front of her. "No Ariku! We haven't. We barely transferred to this one in fact. I know you know the name now tell me!" He said his voice full of urgency and laced with worry.

"M-Mitsumori-sama….you're scaring me. I-I swear this is the only school we've gone to!" She replied, taken aback by his sudden tone. Mitsumori's eyes were intense.

"Arikusandoria… Do you even know your number now?" He asked softly with a mixed feeling of sadness and seriousness.

"My…number? ...Wh-what do you mean?" The lost girl questioned causing Mitsumori to bow his head before he hugged her tightly, not letting go or answering her questions as to why he started to cry softly.

_Why…Why does she always have to be the one afflicted with these glitches? …Why?_


	16. Chapter 16

**Ch. 16: Murphy's Law Sucks.**

"Where the heck are they?! That is so unlike them to skip school and then flake over helping out!" Rin cried as she picked up a streamer that refused to stay pinned in place.

"Neither of them are answering their phones either. Maybe one of us should head over and see what's wrong?" Len suggested as he adjusted the levels on the speakers.

In short, the twins had managed to transform the entire downstairs portion of their house into what would become a haunted house that leads to the performance stage outside.

"I'd go but there's soooo much left to do still! I mean, the living room and kitchen still aren't completely redone, and don't even get me started on the front lawn… Is the stage ready?" Rin said as she had walked over to her twin; the unruly streamer won its battle.

"Yeah I think so. Let's test it out." He replied as he handed her a microphone from the belt around his waist.

"What should I sing?"

"I don't care; you could say potato for all that matters. Just as long as I can hear if the levels need to be adjusted or not."

"Okay, potato it is!" Rin replied with a giggle before saying it into the mic repeatedly and waiting for Len's cue to stop her.

"Haha…potato." For some reason the word made both of them laugh.

"Okay okay, but seriously Len, we're never gonna get all of the decorating done unless we get help. And fast." Rin said after calming down to which the boy nodded.

"Right…So I'll just leave you to your...streamer party-" Len began slowly as he started backing away. "Oh no, no, no, no, no. No. I will go check on them, you can stay here with the streamers." Rin started quickly, walking after her brother to which he shook his head.

"Absolutely not! You know I can't decorate as good as you can!"

"Oh shove it! I'm tired of these things."

"Well you know who is good at putting streamers up?"

"Who?"

"Ariku-chan. Which is why I will go get her." Len concluded with a chuckle before running into the house.

"Grrr…I HATE YOU!" Rin shouted as she threw her arms down in anger. "…stupid streamers being all stupid and just… UGH."

* * *

A knock came at the door to the UTAU's apartment.

"Ooh! I'll get it!" the still glitched Ariku cried, excitedly jumping up from her spot on the sofa and running to the door. "Ariku-chan no! Wait!" Mitsumori cried but it was too late. She opened the door, revealing a smiling Len. Until he noticed that the girl was only wearing her under garments. "Um…-"

"S-sorry Len-san!" Mitsumori cried as he covered the girl with his jacket, causing the Vocaloid to raise an eyebrow.

"Um...What uh...What's going on here?" He asked, his cheerfulness from earlier disappearing.

"I'm having to fix Ariku-chan. She glitched this morning so we didn't go to school." Mitsumori explained, leading the boy inside.

"So um… why is she...Missing her clothes?" Len continued slowly as he sat down. "Because I didn't want to wear them!" The girl said loudly with a giggle, causing Mitsumori to sigh and shake his head.

"…uh yeah…what Ari said. She refused to put clothes on and won't even wear her pajamas…"He said softly, his cheeks red as the girl clung to him. At this point, Len's heart dropped and he held in the immense frustration he felt- forcing himself to stay calm and continue asking questions.

_They were definitely up to something…and it bothers me how he is barely phased by her appearance at the moment..._

"Uh-huh…So…Have you had any luck in fixing her?" Len asked suspiciously, keeping a close watch on the pair.

Mitsumori shook his head.

"No…and quite frankly it's rather awkward with her being like this. Anything we say she ignores unless she deems it interesting. If I try to get her to focus, she just laughs and runs away. And if I get close to running an analysis on her, she immediately tries to-" Mitsumori cut off mid-sentence as Ariku tried to lift his shirt.

"Play with me!"

She exclaimed to which the boy pushed her way from him and held her at arm's length.

"…I don't even want her to explain that…"

"…Neither do I." Len stated as he was very close to losing his cool composure.

"So…do you um… do you think she'll remember this when you fix her?" Len asked, watching his closet girlfriend cling onto her best friend tightly. By this time, Mitsumori felt the hidden tension Len brought with him into the apartment and he continued to try and shake Ari off of him but no avail.

"Alex is supposed to arrive tomorrow to come check up on her. But I think if we could get her to calm down enough, she should be able to help out and at the very least, join us at the party later." The boy paused.

"…I know how unnerving this must be for you… but I-I am trying my best to fix her. I hope you don't think I've done anything to her." He replied thoughtfully, watching Len's reaction. Len sighed and nodded.

"It's… alright. I mean, it's not your fault she gets glitches every now and then." The Vocaloid said, disregarding the fact the Mitsumori just read him like an open book.

"Wait…What do you mean by that?" Len questioned, now suspicious of how much Mitsumori may know.

"She told me this morning and shortly after that…this happened." Mitsumori explained softly.

_Cat's out of the bag now I guess, might as well act on it. _He thought as he looked at Len.

"Oh. Well um…-"

"She also was bothered that you honestly thought she would be doing something with me this entire time…" Mitsumori added, slightly upset. Len thought for a moment. "I'm sorry…I just. I don't understand how-"

"We can live together and not be dating?"

Len nodded.

"It's okay… most people think that when they see us walking around school. Although it appears you were the one who was doing things with her behind Kaito's back- all the while enlisting my help to set up the guy so that it was she would be forced to break up with him. …Kaito was innocent wasn't he?" Mitsumori decided to open this can of worms since he had the chance- Ariku had wandered off down the hall and left the two alone. The blonde gulped.

"...Kaito-nii isn't that smart... It was quite easy to frame him as the bad guy so I could win Ariku-chan's affection." Len began with a sigh. "I didn't know what to do and by the time I realized I did like her, it was too late. So I did what I could to quickly make her leave him and I swooped in to save the day."

Mitsumori nodded as he listened to the blonde's story, all the while feeling a sudden anger towards him for tricking Ariku.

"Um...If I may...How is it that you didn't realize she was nuts about you since the day we got here?" He questioned, pushing aside his feelings.

Len laughed nervously. "I may give dating advice but I've never been out on a date before. I've never dated any girl before. Ariku is my first girlfriend, I'm not even joking. ...I guess I was just as oblivious to the signs all along even though I told her of all the signs she should look for. Funny how we both ended up being blind to each other's intentions..." Len admitted to Mitsu's surprise.

"Really? ...that's unexpected; you seemed like the type who was experienced in that department..." He mumbled the last part as he took off his glasses.

"I know...I just...there's just something about her Mitsumori-sama. She's different from all those other girls you and I have seen around."

_You don't even know the half of it Len..._

Mitsumori laughed and nodded. "Oh I know she is, you don't have to tell me twice." he commented and the boy smiled. Suddenly Ariku cried out for Mitsumori with a loud girlish giggle followed by it, causing both boys to jump at the sound.

"Umm...do you think you should-"

"Probably but quite honestly I fear what the scene I walk into will be like..."

Both stood now in awkward silence.

"...Just don't take advantage of my girl, Mitsu-sama..." Len warned suddenly. It was as if the awkwardness had returned the tension from earlier to both males.

"I won't but…. I'm letting you know now that I was created to protect Arikusandoria and care for her no matter the costs." Mitsumori returned seriously.

The two exchanged gazes for a few moments, ignoring Ari's second call for Mitsumori.

"If this is all...I believe it's time for me to go take care of Ariku-chan, Len-san." Mitsumori spoke up, putting his glasses back on.

Len nodded. "You go do that. Rin and I will finish up decorating on our own. See you later then." He responded and Mitsumori nodded before ushering the blond out.

* * *

"Mitsumori-san! Come here I need you!" Ariku cried for the third time from his bedroom. "Yes Ariku?" He asked calmly from down the hall.

Mitsumori froze upon entering his room however.

There lay on his bed a curly haired UTAU with bluish purple hair, no glasses, and deep sea blue eyes. Her outfit was no longer undergarments; instead she wore a black little tube top and a short skirt with long stocking with bright pink ribbons on them. The faint scent of perfume accompanied her presence.

"Hi!" The girl said with a wink. Mitsumori's face went bright red. "A-A-Ariku-chan?" He stuttered, trying desperately to avert his eyes. She giggled and made her way over to the doorway where he stayed. "Uh-huh. It's me, Mitsumori-san." She answered as she lifted his chin with her index finger.

Forced to stare at her, he also noticed her chest seemed fuller though he tried to look away still. The UTAU pouted. "Why don't you want to look at me? Am I showing too much?" She questioned sweetly.

The boy incapable of using words only shut his eyes and nodded slowly.

"...But you like it better this way don't you?" She laughed as she stepped away from his personal space. "I mean, I have on 2-inch heels but there is still a good height difference between us. We don't need to be anywhere till later on, who knows what could happen?! And this irresistible scent, you like it don't you?" Ariku's list of questions continued like this as she let Mitsumori try and regain his speech function.

_I don't want you this way Ariku...I want the Ari I've known since day one..._

"A-Ariku-chan...Um...Could you please let me run a system scan on you?" Mitsumori asked softly when he could speak again. The UTAU who was back on his bed sighed. "If it'll get you closer to doing something with me then I guess so..." She answered boredly.

_Oh thank God that worked._

Mitsumori nodded and took a wire connected to his laptop and sat next down to Ariku. She smiled as she let him connect the wire to a socket at the back of her neck.

"This is the closest you've dared get to me all day. ...Do I make you nervous or something, hon?" She giggled.

"Um...Ariku...You have a boyfriend. I don't want to make him upset." He chose his words carefully as he went to grab his laptop.

"Oh I do? When did this happen?" Ariku asked, obviously surprised as she watched Mitsumori enter data on a program.

"...Not that or that... That's fine...uh-huh..." The boy was too busy analyzing her data to answer again.

"Ugh! I don't know what it's gonna take for you to return my desperate cries of affection dear! I've tried sex appeal, I've tried flirting, I've tried being nice but jeez nothing seems to interest you! AM I THAT BORING TO YOU? AM I NOT PRETTY ENOUGH OR WHAT?" Ariku cried out, highly upset that Mitsumori had values.

"...Ariku you're not the Ari that I..." He caught himself.

"I'm not what Ari? Mitsumori come on, tell me!" She replied quickly, now interested again in what he had to say.

Mitsumori sighed and turned to look at her. "You're not Arikusandoria. You are Anti Ariku... The Ariku that I...That I care so much about is in a dormant state...You took over her body in order for her to regenerate herself. In short, you are nothing more than a recovery system within her body. I don't know if you'll retain the memories that are created today but if you do, than I don't want to emotionally damage the dormant Ariku... She's been through so much already..." He explained softly.

Anti Ariku's eyes saddened. "...It sounds as though you like this girl...She must be someone pretty amazing to be graced with such affection from you..." She said softly as she stood up.

Mitsumori nodded and turned back to the screen. "It looks like she- you, won't or shouldn't remember what happens today. I have to piece together her save data again though...All her memories are jumbled and hidden." He explained. Anti Ariku walked over to him.

"When you fix that, I'll be gone won't I?" She asked slowly to which the boy nodded.

"Yes...It does seem that way." He answered.

A 'click' was heard before Anti Ariku hijacked his laptop.

"I-I won't let you get rid of me that easily! I wanna go to that party! I wanna sing with you! Because...Because i-i'm the part of her that adores you Mitsumori!" She cried loudly, hugging the computer tightly as she stood in the center of his room. Mitsumori's eyes widened before his expression turned to one of sadness.

"Anti Ariku...You're only recovery data! I-it's impossible for you to love me!"

As much as it hurt him to say that to the girl he loved so much, it had to be said. For he knew if he let himself drop all walls and return the affection of the system that took over Ariku's body no good would come from it. When Ariku would awake, neither entity knew whether or not she would remember what happened.

"In the off chance that she does remember, I don't want to be the one she resents. I...I couldn't live with that guilt." Mitsumori said after a moment.

"..Just let me have today with you...W-we don't even have to do anything together...I could just go sing at the party a-and then you can fix her and be on your merry way." Anti Ariku pleaded.

"Why is this so important to you?!" Mitsumori blurted out, flustered at the conversation.

"I don't know, I'm just a **recovery system** who is incapable of emotion!" She mocked him with a 'hmph'. Mitsumori sighed and thought over a plan.

_The only way she'll let me finish the analysis is if she lets down her defenses… But what if this system is part of Ariku's dormant Kokoro? ...Should I let down my defenses to try and awaken her completely now? ….No…I don't think she'll be able to handle that program just yet…It could destroy her so quickly….I need to be careful….Maybe I should use my Anti systems with her…Alex can come by and make sure that I'm properly functioning tomorrow when she gets here_

"Anti Ari." He spoke up.

"Yes?"

She was watching him carefully as she gripped the laptop tightly.

"I was originally going to sing Just Be Meltdown with Ariku, but since you're here…would you like to sing Karakuri Burst with my Anti tonight?" He asked, hoping she'd agree.

"Hmm…."

The girl thought about it as she placed the computer on his bed and paced back and forth slowly.

"You mean to tell me that you want me…to sing with you…at this Halloween party tonight?" She looked at him as she spoke and he nodded. A grin appeared on her face and she laughed, her bubbly persona returning from earlier.

"Why the heck wouldn't I?!" She cried, causing Mitsumori to smile.

"Excellent, I'll just execute my Anti system and then we can practice before changing and going." He replied happily as he walked over to his bed and sat down.

The pair practiced for the remainder of the time they had before the party that night, harmonizing naturally and getting dressed in costume.


	17. Chapter 17

**Ch. 17 Showtime**

"Wow Rin, you look so cute!"

"This house is amazing! Eek! I'm so glad you and your brother hosted the party this year!"

Rin laughed as Zatsune and Miku arrived in matching witch costumes, the only difference being the accent colors to their dresses. "Aww, thanks guys! But you know full well Len isn't really my brother, haha." She said with a smile as she led them further into the house. "So if you're a neko…does that mean Len is matching you? Oh that'd be so adorable!" Miku asked excitedly with a giggle. Rin shook her head. "Uh no, Superhero Len is not a matching neko with me…he's a well a-"

"I'm a Superhero!" a voice cried, startling the girls. They looked around to see Len rail grind down the stairs and land in front of the girls.

"See? I even made a cape! And got this snazzy belt." Len said happily. Zatsune smiled. "That's so unlike you two, but I'm glad; both of you are original this year." She commented and the twins nodded happily as the door bell rang. "Oh, I'll get it, Rin!" He said before bolting off to go answer the door, his red cape swaying behind him. "I thought you were the one who answered the door Rin." Miku stated as they went back to conversing. "Yeah… but I don't mind, I mean, he's been really hyper since we finished decorating oddly enough so let the boy run around like a maniac." She responded, causing them to laugh.

**Meanwhile…**

Len swung the door open energetically with a smile. He paused before he spoke however, just staring at the pair at the door. On the other side of the door were Ariku and Mitsumori except Len couldn't tell if it was just their costumes or their real appearance that was different.

"Well, aren't you going to invite us in, silly? Or are you gonna stand there admiring me all night?" Anti Ariku said quite flirtatiously with a wink. Len directed his attention to the girl and felt himself turn red slightly. "O-oh yeah! Of course, come on in guys." He stuttered as he invited them into the house. Len watched as Ariku walked very differently than usual- each step had a sort of sassiness that was very unlike her. And he also watched as Mitsumori followed close behind her, not too unusual for him, but he walked with a mysterious sense about himself that peaked Len's interest. "Wait…did he dye the ends of his hair red? …I think he did. And neither are wearing glasses… interesting..." He said to himself as he made his way back to the group.

"Ariku! You look so cute in that dress! And your hair…did you dye it?"

"Are you wearing contacts?!"

"You're singing Karakuri Burst with Mitsumori aren't you?"

Rin, Miku, and Zatsune couldn't hold their excitement for the transformation their shy friend underwent. "Thank you! And yes I dyed it. And yes, I am wearing contacts. And yes, we are singing Karakuri Burst together." She replied to each of their questions happily as Mitsumori stood next to her. "Looks like you went through your own transformation, huh Mitsumori? Zatsune said as she noted the boy's outfit and hair. "Whoa! You dyed the ends of your hair too?! Wow you guys went all out huh?" Miku exclaimed, pointing to his tips. Rin laughed. "I think you both did a good job! Make yourselves at home, we've got food, candy, drinks, music, oh, and we also have a haunted house outside if you want to go check it out." She said with a smile as Len rejoined the group. "Anyone else show up yet, Len?" "No, not yet, but the others know to just come on in so I think we're good on that." He answered. "So Mitsumori, you went all out for the party? I noticed both you and Ariku are wearing contacts tonight, they look pretty awesome, the color change worked well." Len noted and Ariku smiled. "It was actually Ariku's idea to use them, said I looked better with red eyes than green apparently." He said with a laugh. "Well he does right? I mean just look at those eyes! They're gorgeous!" Ariku added with a giggle as she hugged him, slightly irritating Len though he tried his best to mask it.

"Ariku-chan please, no flattery is needed." Mitsumori brushed her aside with a wink, causing all the girls to giggle. Except Rin, though she smiled. The twins slipped away from the group as they continued asking questions and talking among each other.

"Hey um…Len, don't you think it's weird how...close...they're acting tonight?" Rin whispered as she nodded in the UTAUs' direction. Len nodded.

"Yeah...it's starting to bother me…I wonder if she's doing that on purpose to…" the boy trailed off, almost revealing his secret to his 'sister'.

"To what, Len? ….Are you maybe…jealous of Mitsu-sama's closeness with Ariku-chan?" Rin nudged the blonde who immediately shook his head. "N-no! ...Well I mean…I-I don't know. It's just bothersome okay!?" Len blurted out finally, causing Rin to smirk. "I knew it. You really like Ariku-chan don't you?" She teased with a giggle.

It's not exactly that….It's more like she's my girlfriend and she's all over her best friend who lives with her….But I can't tell you that 'sis' now can I? …Wait…Can I? Should I?

"Len...Leeeenn. Helloooo?" Rin was waving her hand in front of his face. "H-huh? What's up?"

"Go answer the door lover boy, I'll try and help you out with Ariku tonight okay?" She said with a smile before walking back towards the group with drinks. Len sighed but walked off, glad that his twin could cover for him without fully understanding everything just yet.

He opened the door to show Mikuo, Gakupo, Kaito and Luka all standing before him. "Oi Len-san! Nice outfit, decided to be a superhero after all?" Mikuo commented as he walked past the blonde.

"Nice little party you've got going on here. Come on Gakupo, let's go see who else is here." Luka said as she tugged on the tall man to walk along with her. "Ah okay, see you later Len!"

After the others had gone inside, the atmosphere changed. "Hey there Kaito-sama. How have you been?" Len said after a moment of uneasiness.

I wonder if he knows that I set him up….

To Len's reassurance, Kaito smiled. "Hi Len-kun. Thanks for hosting the party this year." The bluenette said as he walked past Len and toward his friends.

Okay good.

~Later on~

"Holy crap there's a bunch more people than I expected, Rin!"

"I know! Isn't it great?! Eek!"

Len had lost his twin in the massive crowd of people who had learned of their party. "Rin! Rin! Oh come on guys, I don't even know half of you people here!" The boy cried as he shoved his way through the crowd to reach their backyard which, surprisingly, was vacant except for Ariku and Mitsumori.

Interesting...But at least I know these two.

Len approached the pair that seemed to be working on choreography for their performance.

"Haha! I am so excited to be singing with you! Ariku must be a lucky girl, eh Mitsu-sama?" He overhead Ariku say.

What did she mean by that…?

Mitsumori was about to respond before he noticed Len standing there. "Oh...Well hello there Len-san. Can we help you with something?" He said nonchalantly as Ariku hugged him. "Yeah! We were going over some…things." She added with a giggle as she never took her eyes off of Mitsumori, though he did push her from him. As the party raged on inside, Len had just walked into an even worse situation.

What the heck is wrong with these two? They've been acting strangely close all night and she hasn't taken her eyes off of him except for when they arrived! It's as if she completely cast me aside for no reason!

"I asked you a question, boy." Mitsumori reminded bluntly as he stood up. At this comment, Len lost it and shoved Mitsumori back. "Yeah, you can help me by getting away from my girlfriend!" He barked, glaring at Mitsumori. Mitsumori's eyes narrowed and he glared back at Len. "You're walking on thin ice you know that kid." He warned but Len laughed. "Me? You're the one on thin ice. I want you to get out of my house until you come back to your senses!" He shouted, shocking Ariku. "B-boys stop it! There's plenty of me to-"

"Stay out of this!" they both said in unison as they stared at the girl.

She frowned. "You don't need to do this y'know." "Yes I do Ari-chan! Because you can't protect yourself now and I refuse to see you get taken advantage of." Len answered. "Now I'll say it again Mitsumori-sama, get out of my house." Mitsumori sized him up for a moment, noting the boy's clenched fists. He scoffed at Len but shrugged. "Alright alright, come on Ariku lets-"

"No. Just you. I'll make sure Zatsune takes her home safely."

Ariku and Mitsumori stopped gathering their stuff for and looked at Len. "Excuse me? I'll go home with whoever I want to go home with thank ya very much." Ariku said with the utmost sass in her voice.

"Not while in my care you won't, young lady."

An unfamiliar voice caught the three loids off guard and caused them to look behind them. Rin had led a woman in a long white lab coat with black curly hair and the same color as Ariku to them outside. "Is that-"

"Hello, my name is Alexandria. You may call me Professor Alex though, Kagamine twins." The lady addressed them before looking over at Ariku and Mitsumori with a sigh. "Look at you two. What a mess you have gotten yourselves into... Mitsumori, didn't I tell you to never execute that program unless it was an emergency?! It's so unlike you to act recklessly!" She started her rant, catching the twins off guard who both stepped back slowly to watch the scene unfold. "You weren't the one in danger, Arikusandoria was!"

"Pssh! Like you're the boss of-"

Slap!

Alex's hand whipped across Mitsu's face so swiftly that Len swore he felt it. "Anti Mitsu…Don't you dare talk back to me again." She said seriously before holding his cheek, the now angered boy glaring at her. "You forget I can override this system the very system I created with a mere touch." Alex continued as she caressed his face with a single finger. Within moments, Mitsumori's hair and eye color went back to normal and a blush appeared upon his cheeks as his expression softened. "A-Alex? …I-I-I-"

"Shh… Mitsumori-san, just go home. We can discuss this later." Alex cut him off and patted his shoulder before stepping out of the way and motioning for him to leave. As they watched the boy go, Alex moved on to Ariku. "Anti Ariku, what was your purpose for taking over?"

Ariku giggled. "Well that husk of a woman you call 'Arikusandoria' is losing her memories. Fast. At an alarming rate, if you will. Hah, it was easy shutting down the system to protect her from herself!" The girl explained, pleased with her conquer of Ari's body."

"I see." Alex replied as she looked over at the twins. "Please pardon their behavior for tonight; neither was in their right mind and there is much to be done to fix her." She stated as she took Ariku by the wrist. Rin and Len looked up at her. "It's okay Prof. Alex, they weren't too much trouble." Rin said politely. "…easy for you to say." Len mumbled and Rin nudged him. "Right…No trouble at all." He lied with a smile.

"See ya later hon!" Ariku hollered as she walked away with Alex.

Um….What the heck just happened?


	18. Chapter 18

**Ch 18. Answer Me. **

The next two months were torture for Len.

Ariku has been absent from school ever since the party….

Len sighed at this fact though he knew he would go visit her again afterschool that day. It was the same everyday- wake up, go to school, speed over to Mitsumori and Ariku's apartment and see if the professor had made any progress in patching up her system better. He couldn't help but feel an unexplained anger and blamed the professor for the misfortune she befell. "If she had made her the right way in the first place, Ariku wouldn't need such attention now!" He thought as he got in his car and drove over to the UTAUs' apartment.

Alex greeted him at the doorway with a smile. "Good afternoon again Len! I think you'll be pleased to know Ariku's memories have been repaired finally and she is now awake, please come in!" She said happily as she moved out of the door and ushered the young blonde inside, leaving him to Ariku in her room.

Len's previous mood was washed away upon being able to see Ariku's smiling face, even if she was just sitting up in her bed. He had gotten accustomed to seeing the once cozy room transformed into a hospital/laboratory like room. "A-Ariku-chan!" He cried happily as he rushed over to her side, gently hugging her. The UTAU smiled and returned his hug, her face beaming. "O-ohaiyo Len-san! I was hoping you'd stop by today!" Ariku says happily before coughing, causing Len to let go and immediately look at her with worry. "I-I'm fine I promise, just a side effect from being inactive for a while I assume. M-my voice just needs to get used to being used again, haha." The girl reassured, grabbing Len's hand. Len seemed to accept her answer and relaxed again. "I-I brought you a present." He stammered as he fumbled around his bag. Upon finding what he was looking for, he smiled and pulled out a box. "Here you go,I hope you like it!" He stated cheerfully, placing the box in her lap. "A-a present?" Ariku blushed slightly as she undid the bow and removed the lid from the small box. What she pulled out was a purple crystal Treble Clef attached by a golden chain. "Oh Len, this is beautiful! Wh-what was the occasion?"

He laughed. "What? I can't just get my girl a gift?" He joked. "Actually, I was saving it for Christmas but I figured I should give it to you on the day you woke up." He paused and cast his eyes away, a serene expression on his face. "In honesty…I've been coming here every single day since the party. To apologize and hope for your speedy recovery…"

Ariku's eyes widened as she could not believe what he confessed.

He worried that much about me…?

She looked away as she thought about this.

Only Mitsumori has done something like that for me…

Uneasy as to where her thoughts might be going, Len shot her a glance. "Wondering where Mitsumori is?" He tried hard to not flinch at uttering the male's name. After a moment Ariku looked back at him and nodded slowly, causing Len's smile to fade. "I just um…Well he's always been there for me. I find it kind of odd that he's…missing right now."

"So…I'm not enough?"

Ariku was thrown for a loop when he uttered these words. "Wh-what do you mean by that?"

Len sighed and gave her a serious look. "As in, I still can't compete with Mitsumori-sama?"

The air was filled with tension and she thought carefully about her answer.

Did he misunderstand me again? …Mitsumori is only a friend, my best friend, but he is a friend. Certainly if Len were to talk to Mitsu about the subject, Mitsumori would definitely agree with me…right?

Ariku hesitated before answering. " Len-san….I assure you we are nothing more than good friends. I-I thought we went over this already?" Len stood, never meeting her gaze. "There's something I'd like to ask of you Arikusandoria…" He began.

He used my full name…. I wonder what it is…

Ariku nodded as she looked at him, unsure of what to expect from his mouth. "Yes Len?"

"Come live with Rin and I." He said it so simply, as if it were any other question.

"Wh-what? H-how could I…What is that all about?!" Ariku cried, mixed feelings welling within her. Before Len could continue however, a knock came at the door, catching both of them off guard. Ariku started moving to try to answer it but Len quickly pinned her wrists down, hovering above her. "Ariku…please answer me." His eyes turned serious and she felt herself blush as she tried and failed to get away from him. "Len…I-I-"

"Ariku-chan I'll let you go when you answer me." He stated calmly as he stared at her. She could feel her heart racing and her body heated up. "P-please Len! I-I-"

Just then the door opened to show Mitsumori and the professor, Mitsumori holding a plate of food and a small gift box in purple. "Hey Ariku I just wanted to-" His voice instantly cut off when he saw the scene, anger overcoming him. "What are you doing to her?! Get off!" He cried as he rushed over and yanked Len from Ariku, the goody plate crashing and hitting the floor. Prof. Alex had to rush over and stop the quarrelling boys from damaging the precious equipment and Ariku in the heat of their argument.

"UGH! You WOULD show up at a time like this!" Len growled.

"ME? Ha! It's a good thing I did! Who knows what you could've done to Ariku in her current state!" Mitsumori fired back.

Both of them seem so upset…and out of the blue too...I've never seen either of them act like this….I have to get out of here…

Ariku watched in bewilderment as the two struggled to go at each other again, firing off insults left and right.

"Just stay away from her you jerk! I can protect her now!" Len shouted, causing Mitsumori to scoff.

"Really? You're nothing more than an immature brat as far as I can tell."

"Just because I'm 14 doesn't mean I'm immature!"

"But the way you're acting is quite the indicator."

Alex had noticed that Ariku was trying to leave and she gave her a nod of approval. 'I'll take care of them.' She mouthed to the UTAU who swiftly and quietly left the room in her nightgown.

When she had left, the professor shoved the boys away from each other. "Mitsumori, you need to calm down. Now." She sternly, glaring at the male who was still seething at Len. "And thank you for visiting today Len, you may leave now." She said cheerfully as she looked over at the blond who was leaning against a wall. The three stood there in utter silence as she let them figure it out that Ariku had disappeared.

"Hey um…Where did she go?"

"Yeah, when did she even leave?"

The professor ignored them as she walked back to the front of the room, messing with a computer. "You two scared her on her first day; the stimulation grew too much for her and I distracted you all while she made her silent escape." At this she turned around and folded her arms across her chest. "You two should pay attention more to how you make her feel instead of want to beat the stuffing out of each other when one gets alone time with Arikusandoria- her systems are still recuperating from the procedures." Alex scolded and the boys nodded guiltily. She watched as neither made any gesture of apology for several minutes; they just stood there in awkward silence, facing away from each other. Finally after some time, Mitsumori walked over to Len and held out his hand. "…Sorry, I overreacted…"He said honestly, the awkward apology coming out softly. Len was reluctant at first but sighed and shook his hand. "It's okay… I'm sorry losing it." He replied and Alex smiled. "If you really must know where she went, she's at the ice cream parlor- her and Kaito are discussing things is all she told me. So don't go bother her, just wait for her to come home." She urged before leaving the room with a clipboard.

She's probably trying to apologize for how she treated him a couple of months ago. Mitsumori assumed as he started to walk out before noticing the dropped sweets on the floor along with the purple gift box. He sighed as he began to pick them up. To his surprise, Len started helping him.

"Uh…did you make these yourself?" He asked to which Mitsumori nodded. "I did."

The awkwardness wasn't leaving anytime soon…

When the mess was cleaned up, Mitsumori took the gift box and left the room without a word more. Len didn't stay much longer after that either and grabbed his backpack before leaving.


End file.
